3011 Student Book

LANG 3011 Capstone English for Mathematics
Fall 2016-17
LANG 3011
CAPSTONE ENGLISH
FOR MATHEMATICS
CLE, HKUST Copyright. All rights reserved.
Fall 2016-17
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank all writers and publishers who granted us permission to use
the copyright materials in this book.
Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders, but if any have been inadvertently
overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make any necessary arrangements at the first
opportunity.
Fall 2016-17
Table of Contents
p.3
Course Outline and Schedule
p.5
Assessments
p.8
Intended Learning Outcomes
p.9
Capstone Project Skills
p.11
Course materials:
Week 1: Research Projects

Week 2: Presentations: Preparing an Engaging Presentation
Week 3: Writing: Academic Writing for Research Reports
Week 4: Writing: Introducing your Project
Week 5: Presentations: Delivering a Presentation Effectively
Week 6: Presentations: Assessed Presentations
Week 7: Writing: Methods and Methodology
Week 8: Writing: Discussing your Findings
Week 9: Writing: Concluding a Project
Week 10: Writing: Tying up your Project
Week 11: Presentations: Using Language Effectively
p.137
Stages of a Research Project

p.138
Six Step Presentation Planning Guide
p.139
TED Talk Analysis Tasks
Fall 2016-17
Course Outline and Schedule

Suggested
Schedule
Week 1
Course Topics
Learning Outcomes in this Unit
page
1. Research Projects
understand what Capstone projects are

understand what research is - and what
research is not
understand the stages in conducting a
research project
understand considerations for developing a
research aim
be able to talk confidently about a maths
topic
p.10
be aware of useful strategies to engage the

audience
be able to plan an effective opener and closer
be aware of how to organize ideas clearly
deliver a 2 min presentation on a proposed
project topic
p.20
implement strategies to critically read

research articles
analyze Abstracts and Introductions
understand the structure of a research report
be aware of features of academic writing
be aware of strategies to write more
concisely
p.32
understand how to structure an effective

Introduction
be aware of useful language for Introductions
be able to integrate a Theory section
effectively
be able to integrate ideas from other writers
appropriately
p.41
be aware of factors to consider for effective

use of voice
be more aware of how to handle challenging
situations
be aware of effective use of body language
be able to design and use visual aids
effectively
be able to talk confidently about your project
p.56
1.1. What is Research?

1.2. Getting Started with a Research
Project
Week 2
2. Preparing an Engaging Presentation

2.1. Presentation Practice
2.2. Audience Analysis
Week 3
3. Academic Writing for Research

Reports
3.1. Overview of Research Reports
3.2. Features of Academic Writing
Language Focus (1): Academic
writing features
Language Focus (2): Writing
concisely
Week 4
4. Introducing your Project

4.1. Introduction Section
Language Focus (3): Reduced
relative clauses
4.2. Theory Section
Language Focus (4): Reporting
other studies
Language Focus (5):
Paraphrasing
Week 5
5. Delivering a Presentation Effectively

5.1. Sounding Confident
5.2. Creating a Visual Image
Fall 2016-17
Week 6
6. Assessed Presentations
be able to deliver an effective scientific

research presentation
be able to evaluate the effectiveness of
presentations
p.66
Week 7
7. Methods and Methodology
understand how to select appropriate content

for a Methods/Methodology section
analyze TED Talks for effectiveness
implement strategies to help the audience
follow complex theory
be able to write a Method section with clear
language
be aware of useful language for
Results/Discussions
be able to write a Discussion with
appropriate comparisons and tentative language
be able to use tables, figures, equations and
symbols appropriately according to standard
conventions
be aware of how to weave interpretation and
significance of results smoothly through a
Discussion
Conclusions from presentations and written
reports
understand how a Conclusion connects to all
the other sections of a report
be able to use logical deductions to make
accurate Conclusions
be able to communicate the significance of
your project with precise language
be able to write a coherent Conclusion in
academic style
be able to write an organize an Abstract
be aware of strategies to improve cohesion
be able to follow the gist of a complex talk
understand when to nominalize and
denominalize appropriately
be able to analyze a report for a variety of
academic language structures
p.69
be aware of the use of metaphor and analogy

in scientific communication for Abstract concepts
be aware of stages of planning a presentation
understand differences between presentation
language and academic written language
be aware of a range of online resources to
develop features of engaging language
be able to deliver an effective scientific
research presentation
presentations
p.126
7.1. Methodology for Data-Driven

Projects
7.2. Methods for Theoretical Projects
Week 8
8. Discussing your Findings

8.1. Results and Discussion
Language Focus (6):
Comparisons
8.2. Graphical Data, Equations and
Numbers
Language Focus (7): Hedging
Week 9
9. Concluding your Project

9.1. Communicating Purpose
Language Focus (8):
Highlighting significance
9.2. Logical Ideas and Flow
Language Focus (9): Old-tonew principle
Week 10
10. Tying your Project Together

10.1. Academic Writing Structures
Language Focus (10):

Nominalization and
denominalization
Week 11
10.2. Writing an Abstract

Language Focus (11):
Cohesion
11. Using Language Effectively
11.1. Engaging your Audience
11.2. Comparing Spoken / Written
Language
Week 12
Week 13
Assessed Presentations
p.81
p.98
p.112
Fall 2016-17
Assessment Research Project

LANG 3011 encourages you to think more deeply and broadly about maths topics that you are currently
studying, and develop your understanding of how to extend these topics by conducting your own research
project.
At the start of this course you will develop your own research question for a research project that you
would like to conduct.
Throughout the course, you should develop your understanding of research skills and use these skills
to help you develop and conduct your research project.
Midway through the course you will introduce your project to the rest of the class through a short
presentation and submit a written report both as mid-course assessed tasks.
At the end of the course you will write up your finished project into a final report, and deliver a
project presentation to the rest of the class both as end-of-course assessed tasks.
Assessed Tasks Overview

1. An individual presentation introducing the research project (5-6 min + 3-4 min Q&A)
timeline: during week 6

focus: an academic presentation to introduce some background knowledge to your
research area, why you chose this topic, why the research will be worthwhile, what
you plan to do to progress with conducting the project
2. An introduction of the research project (450-550 words)
15%
timeline: end of week 7

focus: an academic-style report, to introduce some background knowledge to your
research area, why you chose this topic, why the research will be worthwhile, what
you plan to do to progress with conducting the project
3. An individual research project final presentation (8-10 min + 3-4 min Q&A)
30%
timeline: during week 12-13

focus: an academic presentation, to analyze what you chose to research and why, how
your project was conducted, together with significant findings and their implications.
4. An individual research project final report (1500-1800 words)
15%
30%
timeline: end of week 12

focus: a research report, to analyze what you chose to research and why, how your
project was conducted, together with significant findings and their implications.
Participation: You will also be assessed on your participation in class activities and on your
effort with the out-of-class work assigned.
10%
Please note that in order to pass the course, 80% attendance in the lessons is also required.
Fall 2016-17
Mid-Course Assessments - Assessed Tasks 1 and 2

Purpose? To introduce us to your research area and report on the preliminary planning of the project.
When? Mid-course. Check specific deadlines with your teacher.
How long? Report = 450-550 words; Presentation = 5-6 min + 3-4 min Q&A.
Audience? Your fellow maths students. Imagine you are presenting and reporting to a maths student from a
different track to you (Applied, Pure, Statistics).
How much weighting of your final grade? Report = 15%; Presentation = 15%.
Suggested content for mid-course assessments:

Note: Different projects may require different content; the ideas below are flexible. You should select content
appropriately for your project and audience, drawing on ideas from class.
Note: This is NOT a suggested structure. You should organize your content appropriately for your project,
drawing on ideas from class.
1. Background information
to orient your reader/audience around the general topic area
to briefly explain how/why you came up with the topic idea
2. Preliminary project planning and objectives
to describe some details of the recent history of the topic, i.e. how this area of maths has
developed/advanced recently
to show how the recent developments/advancements in this field have led to the need for your research
question or project design
to introduce your specific research question or project objective or hypothesis
to explain and justify the preliminary plan for how the project will be conducted, e.g. what methods or
methodologies will be used, how data/results will be obtained and analyzed
3. The importance of the study
to justify why the study will be useful/worthwhile to conduct
to explain what potential impact the outcome of the study might have
How is it assessed?
Content and organization: does it have an appropriate level of detail? is the information well selected for the
audience? do you convince the reader that the research will be feasible? do you convince the reader of the
relevance of the research to your field? do you convince the reader of your interest in the research? is it
coherent? are your sections well balanced? are your sections and ideas cohesive? does the organization help
the reader follow the ideas? do you start and end in a helpful way?
Language: do you use or explain technical terms appropriately for the reader? do you use a natural range of
vocab appropriately for this context and genre? do you use vocab accurately? do you use appropriate grammar
structures for this context and genre? do you use accurate grammar?
Delivery (only for presentations): does your intonation help engage the audience? does your body language
help engage the audience? do you use appropriate speed, volume, rhythm and visual aids which enhance the
presentation? is your pronunciation clear?
Fall 2016-17
End-of-Course Assessments - Assessed Tasks 3 and 4

Purpose? To provide a final full report/presentation on the completed project
When? End-of-course. Check specific deadlines with your teacher.
How long? Report = 1500-1800 words; Presentation = 8-10 min + 3-4 min Q&A.
Audience? Your fellow maths students. Imagine you are presenting and reporting to a maths student from a
different track to you (Applied, Pure, Statistics).
How much weighting of your final grade? Report = 30%; Presentation = 30%.
Suggested content for end-of-course report:

Some of the content below might be suitable for your project. Note that different projects may require
different content, structure and organization; the ideas below are flexible. You should prepare appropriately
for your project and audience, drawing on ideas from class.
Abstract A brief overview of the whole paper
Introduction A summary of the background to the topic, and literature and previous studies that have
led to the research question or purpose of the paper. You should be able to adapt parts of your first
report to help you write this section.
Theory A description of the maths theories, models, etc. that you will rely on or test in this paper. You
may be able to adapt parts of your first report to help you write this section.
Methods/Methodology A description of the methodology utilized in the development of the paper, i.e.
how the results were obtained or what mathematical methods were used to solve the problem, and
a description of what numerical or analytical methods were used to analyze the results, methods or
solutions. You may be able to adapt parts of your first report to help you write this section.
Results/Discussion A description of the results/solutions of the project, and a detailed discussion of
the analysis of the results. This section may include an evaluation of how well the findings meet
the project objective or confirm the hypothesis or how they compare to the literature. It may also
include a discussion of the impact of the findings, and problems/limitations with the project and
suggested future research.
Conclusion A report of the key conclusions from the project.
References A list of the literature sources you have cited in the body of your text, following the style
and formatting conventions for referencing, as required by your maths department.
Appendices This might include raw data, coding sheets, lengthy workings if relevant, which have not
been put into the body of the text.
How is it assessed?
Content and organization: does it have an appropriate level of detail? is the information well selected for the
audience? do you convince the reader that the research will be feasible? have you selected appropriate sources
from the literature? have you integrated ideas from the literature in a meaningful way? is referencing well
managed? do you convince the reader of the relevance of the research to your field? do you convince the
reader of your interest in the research? is it coherent? are your sections well balanced? are your sections and
ideas cohesive? does the organization help the reader follow the ideas? do you start and end in a helpful way?
Language: do you use or explain technical terms appropriately for the reader? do you use a natural range of
vocab appropriately for this context and genre? do you use vocab accurately? do you use appropriate grammar
structures for this context and genre? do you use accurate grammar?
Delivery (only for presentations): does your intonation help engage the audience? does your body language
help engage the audience? do you use appropriate speed, volume, rhythm and visual aids which enhance the
presentation? is your pronunciation clear?
Fall 2016-17
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

We hope that you enjoy the course and that your future studies benefit from the work you do over
the next few months. The learning outcomes that you can expect to achieve are outlined below.
By the end of this semester, you will be able to
Report writing skills:
write a coherent research report incorporating a clearly defined structure.
communicate the relevance of your project to other work in the field.
Presentation skills:
deliver a well-structured scientific presentation.
deliver a presentation with effective use of voice control, use of visual aids and body
language.
show awareness of ability to cater for an audiences specific needs.
Language:
show awareness of differences between scientific written English and presentationstyle spoken English
be able to use a range of words and expressions suitable for communicating your
project in a written report and oral presentation
use clear, concise, coherent, cohesive language to write your report.
use engaging and effective language to present your project.
Critical thinking, reading and research skills:
understand the stages of a research project and how to reflect on them
be able to develop a research question/objective and design a research project
synthesize salient information from various sources for use in
presentations and
reports.
Life-long learning skills
locate and use appropriate language materials, tools and resources in developing and
maintaining the life-long communication skills.
Fall 2016-17
Capstone Project Skills
One of the main aims of this course is to help you improve your language and communication
skills, and academic literacy to help you complete your maths Capstone project in your 4th year.
Which of the following skills do you think will be most useful for you to develop on this course?
ollecting data using appropriate and well-designed methodology.
nalyzing and discussing data, which leads to a well-crafted and insightful Conclusion.
resenting significant findings in an oral presentation and a research report, which are
supported with carefully selected and well-designed visual aids and accurate graphical data
respectively.
electing an appropriate research topic for a Capstone project.
ransforming research data into useful, digestible and reportable information which caters
for the interests and needs of a specific audience.
rganizing the structure of your oral presentation and research report coherently and
cohesively.
arrowing down a broad research topic into feasible, meaningful and appropriate research
questions.
xcelling in language, communications and academic literacy which would facilitate the
accomplishment of your Capstone project and academic studies.
Fall 2016-17
Unit 1 Research Projects
By the end of this unit, you will be able to:
10

understand what research is - and what research is not
understand the stages in conducting a research project
identify factors to consider when developing and writing a research aim
be able to talk confidently about a maths topic
Fall 2016-17
Task 1: In your 4th year at university, you will conduct a research project called a Capstone
Project. What do you know already about Capstone Projects? Discuss together:
1. What is a Capstone Project?
2. What are the goals of a Capstone Project?
Task 2: One of the main aims of this course is to help you improve your language and
communication skills, and academic literacy to help you complete your maths Capstone project in
your 4th year. To do this, on this course you will develop your own mini Research Project through
the course, and explore how to develop your research skills, so that in year 4 you have a better idea
of how to progress well with the Capstone project that you will be assigned in year 4.
Read the information about the Assessment Research Project at the front of the book to get a better
idea of what is expected on this course.
Task 3: On this course you will develop and conduct your own research project. What is research?
Discuss which of the following you think could be considered research projects.
a. Replicating a study that someone else has done before, using a different data set
b. Developing a new theory or model
c. Modifying an existing theory or model
d. Applying an existing theory or model to a new context/application/data set
e. Demonstrating further evidence to support an existing theory or model
f. Demonstrating evidence against an existing theory or model
g. Compare two models when applied to the same context/example/application
11
Fall 2016-17
Task 4: Match the above project types with the reasons below for why such projects might be
carried out:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Because no existing theory/model explains the phenomenon

Because no existing theory/model adequately explains the phenomenon
Because we dont know which theory/model is more useful in this context
Because we want to know how valid/useful a theory/model really is
Which of the above project types do you think are more common for undergraduate research
projects in maths?
Task 5: Now watch this video about what research is, and what research is not. Make some
notes below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt6XXDF7xaQ.
12
Fall 2016-17
Speaking Practice: Share a Maths Passion

One of the most important factors in choosing a research topic is how interesting and enjoyable
the topic will be for you to study! Over the next few weeks, you will identify a topic of your choice
that you want to research for your project on this course. To start thinking about your maths
interests, follow the Steps below:
Step 1: Discuss in pairs the following questions. Change partners before each question, so that
you have talked to 5 different people by the end of this Step.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Why did you choose to study maths?

What courses have you particularly enjoyed in maths recently? Why?
What aspects of maths in those courses really interest you? Why?
Which topics/courses have you enjoyed less? Why?
What courses/topics are you looking forward to studying this semester or next year?
Step 2: You have 5 min to prepare a 1-2 min talk on ONE topic in maths that really interests you
or that you are passionate about.
You might want answer some of the following questions:
How can you summarize this topic in a few sentences?

Why is this topic interesting to you?
Why is this topic useful for us?
What do you want to know more about, regarding this topic?
Step 3: Mix groups so that you are now sitting with 3 or 4 different people who you have not yet
spoken to. Take it in turns to give your 1-2 min talk. Remember you are talking about an interest
or passion so try to use your voice and body language in an engaging way, to reflect your interest
or passion in the topic.
Listen to your group members do you think they have similar interests to you?
Step 4: Reflection
Discuss or make some notes on the following questions to help you identify how to develop your
ability to talk effectively about your research topic for the future:
13
Which of the questions listed in Step 2 above were you most / least confident to talk
about?
Did your partners ideas inspire you to think about other topics, or to think about your
own topic in a different way?
Fall 2016-17
Self-study: Familiarization with Research Projects

Access some of the following links and look through some of the research project report ideas, to
familiarize yourself with what is expected in a research project report. Write down 3 things about
project reports you have learned from reading some examples, and any questions you want to ask
about what is expected in a project report:
http://www.macalester.edu/~bressoud/capstone/priorcapstone.html
http://opus.govst.edu/capstones_math/
http://www.pacificu.edu/future-undergraduates/academics/areas-study/mathematics/seniorcapstone-projects-mathematics
https://ideas.repec.org/s/eee/mateco.html
http://www.math.ust.hk/~yangwang/Course/2015FSMath4999/outline-4999.pdf
e.g. I noticed that.

e.g. I didnt realize before that
e.g. I want to ask whether we need to
14
Fall 2016-17
1.2. Getting Started with a Research Project
Task 1: Reflection on the Self-study task from Unit 1.1.
What did you learn at home from looking through some of the example projects at the links
provided in the Self-study task?
What questions came up for you when reading the reports, that you want to ask?
Task 2: Go to the back of the book and read the page called Stages of a Research Project to find
out more about what stages you might expect to undertake through this course, and discuss the
following questions:
1. Which stages do you think might be more challenging for you?
2. What kind of problems might a novice researcher have with those challenging stages?
Over the next few lessons we will focus on stages 1-3. By the end of week 3 you should have
identified a clear topic focus and be able to start planning your project.
Task 3: One challenge for many researchers is just getting started! You are going to watch a clip
from the film A Beautiful Mind about how mathematician John Nash got started with his
university research project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d_dtTZQyUM
Before you watch - what do you know about John Nashs maths theories?
While you watch - where did he get the inspiration for his university research project idea?
After you watch Do you know any other Nobel Prize winning breakthroughs in maths or
science?
15
Fall 2016-17
Task 4: Identifying a research topic and developing a clear focus and objective for your project
can be challenging. A research question is a statement that identifies the focus of the topic to be
studied. It must be narrow rather than broad-based. In order to narrow down your research topic
into a focussed research objective or research question, you might ask yourself some of the
following questions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
What are the important research questions in the field of Mathematics?

What areas need further exploration?
Will my research fill a gap?
Will it lead to greater understanding?
What impact will my research have?
How useful would the research be?
How much research has already been done on this area?
What have other people researched in this area?
What have they found?
Highlight 3 questions above that you think would be especially helpful for you to consider.
Task 5: Read the Abstract of the Capstone Project below and discuss in groups:
Where is the objective of research stated?
What are the expected findings?
What are the implications/significance/uses of the research?
Supplementary Sample 1 (Abstract)

Title: A Comparison of Mathematics Content in the 2002 and 2014 GED Test
Source: Student-written Capstone Project http://opus.govst.edu/capstones/96/
Task 6: Read the extract below. Why is it important to consider the implications of the research?
Extract
Researchers should try to avoid proceeding directly to the stage of the research itself without considering the
theoretical and practical implications of the general question, because this inevitably leads to false starts or
problems with the design and methodology of the research. Even experienced researchers sometimes have to
discontinue efforts because of unforeseen or unavoidable obstacles. However, the more experienced researchers
become, the more they learn to ask questions about feasibility and to predict possible areas of difficulty. It is not
unusual to abandon research ideas at the general question stage because of infeasibility.
(Seliger & Shohamy 1990: 52/3)
16
Fall 2016-17
Speaking Practice: Discuss Current Research

Step 1: Discuss in groups of 4:
What interesting areas of maths or science are being currently researched by
mathematicians/scientists?
What do you think the researchers what to achieve or demonstrate or solve, by
undertaking their research?
Why would the potential solutions be useful? What is the importance of this research?
Step 2: Articulating a clear research question or research aim in one sentence is key to keeping
your project focused. Choosing the most specific action verb possible helps to communicate
your aims. Consider some examples in the box below:
Useful Expressions: Writing a research aim / question
We aim to demonstrate
This project aims to highlight
We intend to shed light on
This investigation aims to contribute further evidence to
This project aims to examine
This study aims to determine
The major objective of the study is to evaluate
Now choose ONE of the research areas that you discussed in Step 1. Work with a partner to
write a possible research aim/objective for this project. Use the language in the box to help you.
Step 3: You have 10 min to prepare a 2 min talk on ONE exciting area of current maths or
science research that you have heard of that really interests you. You can use one of the research
areas that you discussed earlier in Step 1-2.
You might want answer some of the following questions:
How can you summarize this research area in a few sentences?
What is the problem which the researchers are trying to solve?
What do the researchers hope to achieve?
Why is this topic interesting to you?
Why is this topic useful for us?
17
Fall 2016-17
Step 4: Mix groups so that you are now sitting with 3 or 4 different people who you have not yet
spoken to. Take it in turns to give your 2 min talk.
Listen to your groupmates talks. Have you heard before of any of the research areas they
discussed?
Step 5: Reflection
ability to talk effectively about research interests:
18
Which of the questions listed in Step 3 above could you most confidently answer?
Which of the research areas - that your groupmates talked about - sounded the most
interesting to you? Which sounded the most worthwhile areas of research?
Fall 2016-17
Self-study: Propose a Project Idea

Next lesson you are going to give a 2 min presentation in front of the class, using a maximum of
3 PowerPoint slides. Your presentation focus will be to propose a maths topic that interests you.
This could be a topic you could potentially develop into a research project on this course. Use the
ideas from Unit 1 to help you develop your presentation.
To prepare, you are expected to do some reading around your potential topic idea, to help you
develop ideas for this presentation. American Mathematical Society might be a good source of
ideas for reading: http://www.ams.org/publications/publications
Your presentation should address some of the following questions:
How can you summarize the topic/theory/model in a couple of sentences?

Why is this topic interesting for you?
What do you want to know more about, regarding this topic?
Why is this area of maths useful/worthwhile to study/research?
What kind of research project might it lend itself to?
Do you have any ideas for potential research questions that could be developed for
a project in this area?
What would be the next step for you over the next few weeks, if you go ahead with
this project idea?
You will be able to change your research topic later in the course, if you want to, but this task
should help you think about how to get started which is sometimes the hardest part of any
research project! When you listen to your classmates presentations next lesson, you might get
some more inspiration for ways to better focus your ideas or for ways to change your topic area.
But the more reading you do now, the easier it will be to design your project, and get feedback on
your project progress along the way.
For reference to help you develop your understanding of how to develop a research question:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWLYCYeCFak
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGdfnc7VBN4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmjujlZExQ
19
Fall 2016-17
Unit 2 - Preparing an Engaging Presentation
By the end of this unit, you will:
20
be aware of useful strategies to engage the audience

be able to deliver a 2 min presentation on a proposed project topic
Fall 2016-17
Task 1: In this lesson you will watch the 2 min presentations of your classmates, prepared in
Unit 1.2. What do you think you will be able to learn from your classmates, by watching their
presentations?
Task 2: Remind yourself of the questions below, from Unit 1.2 that you have used to prepare
your presentation. Which questions did you find easiest to prepare? Which were more
challenging to prepare?
1. How can you summarize the topic/theory/model in a couple of sentences?
2. Why is this topic interesting for you?
3. What do you want to know more about, regarding this topic?
4. Why is this area of maths useful/worthwhile to study/research?
5. What kind of research project might it lend itself to?
6. Do you have any ideas for potential research questions that could be developed for a
project in this area?
7. What would be the next step for you over the next few weeks, if you go ahead with this
project idea?
Task 3: What feedback would you like to receive after your presentation? Remember to tell your
classmates, before you start your presentation!
Watch your classmates presentations and take some notes on the next page.
Task 4: Reflection on your proposed project topic

Make notes on the peer feedback or comments from your classmates or teacher - that you want to
bear in mind to help you develop your project in the next few weeks.
21
Fall 2016-17
Speaking Practice: Mini-presentations

While you watch your classmates presentations, take notes below:
Student:
Student:
Student:
Topic:
Topic:
Topic:
Comments:
Comments:
Comments:
Student:
Student:
Student:
Topic:
Topic:
Topic:
Comments:
Comments:
Comments:
Student:
Student:
Student:
Topic:
Topic:
Topic:
Comments:
Comments:
Comments:
Student:
Student:
Student:
Topic:
Topic:
Topic:
Comments:
Comments:
Comments:
Student:
Student:
Student:
Topic:
Topic:
Topic:
Comments:
Comments:
Comments:
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Fall 2016-17
Self-study: TED Talk Analysis

Go to the back of the book, and complete one of the TED Talk Analysis tasks. This involves
choosing one of the recommended TED Talks to watch, then analyzing the talk and the speakers
presentation skills, using the questions for Unit 2 provided. You can learn a lot about presentation
skills by watching other good speakers!
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Fall 2016-17
Task 1: Presentation skills self evaluation

Think about your most recent presentation, and other presentations that you have given since
youve been at university. How would you evaluate your presentation skills? Complete the table
below, then discuss your strengths and weaknesses with your classmates.
I am
strong
Presentation skills/traits
A.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
B.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
C.
a.
b.
c.
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I am
ok
I am
weak
Preparing and Engaging Presentation:

Developing clear objectives for the presentation
Understanding how to cater for particular audiences needs
Planning clear points for the presentation
Planning a good opener
Structuring the main body of the presentation
Preparing transitions between sections of the presentation
Planning a good closer
Delivering a Presentation Effectively
Using appropriate eye contact to engage the audience
Using confident hand gestures, posture and movement
Designing good visual aids
Making appropriate use of the visual aids youve designed
Using intonation to make the presentation more engaging
Using pausing effectively to help the audience follow
Stressing words effectively to help the audience follow
Speaking at an appropriate volume
Speaking at an appropriate speed
Overcoming anxiety
Handling mishaps
Dealing with a Q&A
Using Language Effectively
Using appropriate grammar
Using appropriate vocabulary
Using appropriate speaking-style language
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Task 2: Think about some of the presentations that youve seen either online or face-to-face.
Discuss what made these presentations memorable for you and what do still remember about
them.
Task 3: Discuss together ideas for one box of the table below. Share your ideas with a group that
discussed the other box.
Things that could help engage the audience
Things that could switch the audience off
Task 4: Effective presentations might be memorable, clear to follow, and engaging. While this is
partly dependent on your actual ideas, the language you choose to use has a huge impact on the
effectiveness of your presentation. What features of language or linguistic strategies make
language memorable? clear to follow? engaging?
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Fall 2016-17
Task 5: Think back to student presentations youve watched in the past. Below are some
common ways students start and end presentations. They are not all effective! Discuss which you
think are effective and which are ineffective? Why?
Common ways students start presentations
e.g.
ask a rhetorical question
say Good morning, my name is Anna
and Im going to talk about x
make a short bold / shocking /
controversial statement
Common ways students end presentations

e.g.
say Thats the end of my
presentation
use a quotation from literature
In your group, add some more ideas above for effective ways to start and end presentations.
Which of these have you used yourself in presentations youve given in the past?
Task 6: Compare the following Introductions delivered by two prominent physics professors, and
answer the following questions:
What strategies did they use to introduce their topics?

To what extent do you think their Introductions are effective and why?
1. Introduction of Quantum Physics

By Prof. Brain Greene from Columbia
University
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnQsF5udUHc&x-ytcl=84924572&x-yt-ts=1422411861
26
(0:00 - 1:00)
2. How Physics will revolutionize the world

by 2030?
By Prof. Michio Kaku from the City
University of New York
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=219YybX66MY (8:57 11:30)
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Task 7: After youve planned what information you want to include, you should think about how
to organize it, and how to communicate this organization to the audience. Which of the following
do you think are useful strategies / techniques / tips for helping the organization and coherence of
your presentation?
Strategies to help create an organized and coherent presentation:

1. Show a presentation outline slide in your PowerPoint. The audience can then have
an idea of the whole structure of the presentation at the beginning of the talk.
2. Refer back to key information we heard before e.g. As I mentioned earlier// Youll
remember that weve already seen how..// Let me remind you that.// Cast your mind
back to what we heard at the start of the presentation,
3.
Refer forwards to key information thats coming soon e.g. Ill explain that more a
little later// Ill come back to this point later// Just bear with me before I show
you// Later well see how.
4. Use the 3-step approach for certain main points: (1) briefly tell them what you are
going to tell them (2) tell them the main point (3) briefly tell them what you told them.
5. Imagine your ideas as paragraphs. The first sentence of a paragraph is a signpost
which tells us where the paragraph is going and the general topic of the paragraph. Do
something similar in a presentation. This means that you should regularly have signposts
to tell us what type of information is coming next e.g. Lets explore this solution a little
more. // Let me explain why Ive mentioned this.
6. Show that you know that the audience already knows a certain fact, so that the
audience will better understand why you are telling them this again. e.g. As Im sure you
already know, // I assume you are familiar with the idea of.
7. Link sections with logical ideas. Dont just give the title of the next section
Star three points above that you think will be most useful for you in the future.
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Task 8: Compare the language below, which students on previous courses have used to transition
between different sections of a presentation. Whats the difference between box A and box B?
Which do you prefer? Why?
Language examples A
Language examples B
Now here comes the results

section.
You are probably wondering by this point

whether we found the results we were looking for.
Lets move on to the results

section.
So by now it should be clear how we conducted

the research, so lets see what the results
revealed.
Now its time for the

results section.
I said to you earlier that Id show you my

preliminary results. So lets see if they are what
you expected.
So this leads us to the question of what we found

out.
Speaking Practice: Reflection
We are going to talk about your reflections on the recommended TED Talk that you watched at
home (the self-study task of Unit 2.1). Follow the steps below.
Step 1: Work in a small group who watched the same talk as you (if possible) and discuss:
1.
2.
3.
4.
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What was the main topic of the talk that you watched?
What was the most memorable idea for you? Why was it memorable?
What did you like about the presentation or speaker? Why?
Was there anything that you didnt like about the presentation or the speaker?
Fall 2016-17
Step 2: Now find a different partner who watched a different talk to you and discuss:
1. What was the main topic of the talk that you watched?
2. What did you learn - from watching this talk that you can try to apply to your own
presentations in the future? E.g.
a. Something you liked, i.e. a presentation skill/strategy you could try out
b. Something you didnt like, i.e. something to avoid doing yourself
Step 3: Change partners again and discuss:

1. TED Talks are a good source of diverse and interesting talks and diverse speakers. Do
you know any other good online sources of talks or presentations that you could access to
help you pick up presentation skills from good models?
2. From all the ideas weve discussed in this unit, can you identify one thing that is most
important for you to develop over this course? How could you try to develop this aspect
of presenting in your own time outside class?
For reference you can find out more about understanding your audience with this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJUblvGfW6w
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Unit 3 - Academic Writing for Research Reports
30
implement strategies to critically read research articles

be able to analyze Abstracts and Introductions of a research article
be aware of strategies to write more concisely
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3.1. Overview of Research Reports
Task 1: For this course, your wider maths studies, and your future career as a mathematician,
you will need to read research articles, in order to keep up-to-date with key ideas in your field.
Have you read any research articles from academic journals before? Which journals did the
articles come from?
The American Mathematical Society is a good source of accessible articles for your reference.
http://www.ams.org/publications/publications
Task 2: As you may know, we dont always need to read the full research article.
Read the information below about one mathematicians basic steps to show how she critically
reads an article.
Which steps below do you think are most difficult?
Steps to critically reading a research article
Step 1
Read the Abstract: This is usually one or two paragraphs, and contains an overview of the background,
methodology, results and conclusions of the study. Decide if its worth reading more of the article.
Step 2
Skim parts of the article: Skim the section that might be most relevant to your work, e.g. are you more
interested in the methodology design or in the results or conclusions? Decide if (which part of) the article
is worth reading in more detail.
Step 3
Read in detail: Read key parts of the article several times, and annotate it by underlining important ideas
or making notes in the margin, etc. to help you follow the ideas of the passage. Look up unfamiliar words
to make sure you fully understand the passage.
Step 4 Start building your own notes: Write down only a few words for each idea rather than complete
sentences. Use subheadings and bullet points in your notes to help you process the relationships between
ideas.
Step 5 Think critically outside the article: Use your annotated notes to think critically about how/why this
article is relevant to your work. Add these critical thoughts to your annotated article.
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Task 3: Look again at Step 5 above. What does this involve?

When we read research articles in depth, we think critically about the ideas we read in them, to
think about how these ideas relate to our own work or other peoples work, or how these ideas
can be developed more.
Which questions below encourage critical thinking?
1. Are there any discrepancies or agreements with other papers you have read on a similar
topic?
2. What do you want to know more about after reading the article?
3. How can you use the ideas from this study to help design your own study?
4. Where do you think this study could this study lead to in the future?
5. Do any questions come to mind when you were reading the article?
Task 4: As you have seen, the first step to reading an article usually involves reading the
Abstract. What do you know about Abstracts? Circle the correct word.
An Abstract is generally the first/last thing we might write for our own research reports, as it
is a summary of the whole research project. However it is usually the first/last thing we read
about other peoples research for the same reason. Reading the Abstract should enable us to
get an overview of the whole research project its context, method, findings and significance.
From reading an Abstract we can determine whether or not we want to read the rest of the
paper.
The Abstract is the first/last section of a research document. It usually comes before/after the
title and before/after the introduction. In some subject areas, this section may be titled
summary. The Abstract provides an overview of the study based on information from the
other sections of the research document. It is, therefore, a complete document, which
summarizes a paper that has already been written.
Swales and Feak 2012, pp. 381-386
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Fall 2016-17
Task 5: In general, an Abstract often follows the following structure. Complete the gaps.
1. Ba____________ information
Introduce the study by describing the context.
Explain why the subject is important.
2. Ob_____________
Describe the purpose of the study.
1. Me______________
Report how the study was undertaken.
2. Fi_____________
Report the results that were found.
3. Co_______________
Explain what is important about the research and why.
State what is suggested/recommended for the future.
Task 6: You are going to read part of a maths research paper about a zombie outbreak. What
kind of maths do you think this research might involve?
While reading, discuss:
What type of information is in sentence 1-2?
What type of information is in the last sentence?
How is the middle part of the text organized?
Supplementary Sample 2A (Abstract)

Title: A Discrete Density-Dependent Model of the Solanum Virus
Source: Morgan, James, "A Discrete Density-Dependent Model of the Solanum Virus"
(2014). Student Theses. Paper 45.
http://opus.govst.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1046&context=theses
Task 7: At the end of this course you will submit a research report for your final project. Discuss
with your group:
1. What is a research report?
2. What characteristics does a research report have?
3. What sections might it contain?
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Fall 2016-17
Task 8: What type of writing do you think is suitable for an academic research report? Circle
which of the bolded options below would generally best help the reader.
General advice to inform, interest or inspire your reader:

1. use standard/creative formatting and notation
2. use vague/precise vocab
3. use simple/complex language
4. highlight/avoid problems, errors and gaps in the research
5. highlight/avoid surprises, anomalies and outliers in the research
6. anticipate/avoid your readers questions
7. find/avoid creative ways to explain abstract concepts
8. summarize/avoid repeating key points
9. write claims confidently/tentatively if you are not sure about them
10. write as many/few words as possible to explain a point
11. define terms because the reader might not know them / it looks professional
12. make/avoid connections with other peoples existing work
13. explain every/key detail
14. write what you know / what you think your reader should want to know
This course will explore how to put these tips/strategies into action. Tick which of the above
tips/strategies you are already confident to do. Star (*) those you want to develop more.
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Fall 2016-17
Self-study: Analyze Abstracts

Look at the project topics below, and read the Abstracts to the articles. Make notes on the type of
information they contain, e.g. from Task 5:
https://math.mit.edu/research/highschool/rsi/documents/2012RSIAbstracts.pdf
Abstracts
Notes
1. On Visibility Graphs Upper Bounds and

Classification of Special Types
2. On the Complexity of the Marginal

Satisfiability Problem
3. Bounds on the Size of Sound Monotone

Switching Networks Accepting Permutation
Sets of Directed Trees
4. Lower central series quotients of finitely

generated algebras over the integers
5. Patterns in the Coefficients of Powers of

Polynomials over a Finite Field
6. A Novel Approach to the Spherical Codes

Problem under the direction of Dmitry
Vaintrob
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3.2. Features of Academic Writing
Language Focus (1): Academic Writing Features

Task 1: What characteristics does academic writing have? Think about what you have already
seen in the research report examples that youve seen earlier in the course, and what you know
from your previous language courses.
Task 2: Now read the following extract of a research report and discuss how the authors have
effectively presented their ideas. Use the following questions to analyze the text.
What area of maths is being applied to a non-maths subject?

What aspects, words or phrases demonstrate that this is written in an academic style?
Supplementary Sample 2B (Abstract)

Title: p-values: Misunderstood and Misused
Source: Front. Phys., 04 March 2016, http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fphy.2016.00006
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphy.2016.00006/full
Writing Practice: Introduce an Application of Maths

Write one paragraph to introduce a topic in maths that has an interesting application in our lives,
or is relied on in our lives in a significant way, e.g. the maths used to write the programs for
computer games design. You might want to address some of the following:
describe very briefly what the maths concept/theory/model/topic is

describe how it is applied or relied on in our lives
describe how has this maths has benefitted us
describe where might this use of maths lead to in the future?
Remember to use some of the ideas about academic writing style from earlier in the unit.
Be prepared to share your paragraph with your group and give/receive feedback.
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Fall 2016-17
Language Focus (2): Writing Concisely

Language Task 1: Discuss together: What is the purpose of being concise? In what situations is
it useful to be more concise?
Read the strategies below.
Strategies to make language more concise:
1. If a word doesnt add any extra meaning to the sentence, its unnecessary. Delete it.
e.g. trends over time > trends
2. If an expression can be substituted for a shorter expression or single word, and the
style and meaning can remain the same, change it.
e.g. which have been mentioned before > aforementioned;
e.g. a lot of > numerous;
e.g. in a similar way > similarly
3. Linking words are often overused in academic writing. Many of them are simply
unnecessary. If cohesion can be achieved just through the logic and coherence of the
ideas, delete the linking word.
4. Some people use qualifying language which is meaningless in science because it is
not specific enough. Delete it, or make it more specific.
e.g. The price increased a lot > The price increased
5. Scientific writing uses minimal adjectives and adverbs. So be ruthless if you see one
are you sure its scientifically meaningful and essential? If not, delete it.
6. subject-verb-object sentences tend to use a lot of words. Sometimes if you turn the
key verb into a noun, then rearrange the sentence, you often end up with fewer words.
This is one way to use nominalization.
7. Summary nouns can be used to replace the subject, if the original subject is long
and wordy.
e.g. The results obtained through the PCT analysis demonstrated that. > these
findings demonstrated that
8. Relative clauses can often be replaced or reduced
e.g. the research that was conducted by Elter, demonstrated that. > Elters research
demonstrated that or research conducted by Elter demonstrated that
9. Some verb expressions can be replaced by a single ing verb
e.g. These results show that > .., showing that
10. Parallel structures can avoid the need for repeating language in comparisons
e.g. from an economic perspective and from a environmental perspective > from an
economic and environmental perspective
e.g. the torque of A is greater than the torque of B > the torque of A is greater than
that of B
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Fall 2016-17
Language Task 2: Below is a student text, introducing the topic of the space elevator. Focus on
the underlined sections, which are too wordy. Use the tips above to re-write the underlined sections
so that the text is more concise. Which tip above is relevant to each underlined expression below?
Title: The space elevator

Source: student writing
We are living in an age where space exploration is right at our fingertips. However, one of the
(a) major and significant problems that prohibit us from frequent space travel is the high cost
(b) that is involved, mainly to fuel the space shuttles. A proposed (c) solution to this high cost
of fuel for space shuttles is the space elevator. The space elevator (d) is made out of graphene,
(e) which is one of the strongest materials on Earth. Building and setting up a space elevator
will not be cheap. However, once it is built, unlike fuels, the space elevator can be reused for
multiple launches, (f) which makes it a beneficial, long-term investment (g) for the future.
The use of the space elevator makes space travel more feasible (h) not just from a
technological point of view, but also from a financial point of view. The space elevator will
transform space travel by opening up the universe for the average person.
Language Task 3: Now read another student text below. Work together to decide which parts
are too wordy and could be made more concise. Then edit the text to improve it.
Title: The Smartphone solution

Smartphones have become a necessity in our life. With the applications installed, we can
communicate with others, share photos online or play games on our phones. However, their
average battery life is short, due to the increase in computing power required by these
multifunctional applications. For instance, the latest smartphone, iPhone6, can only be used for
8 hours (Apple, 2014). Although portable phone chargers are commonly used as a solution to
prolong the using time smartphone, their bulky size and the possibility of forgetting to charge
or bring it turn it into an imperfect solution. In this report, Shoe-pers, which are shoes that are
super, are presented to solve the above problems and they will bring more extraordinary
functions to a pair of shoes that one can ever imagine.
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Fall 2016-17
Self-study: Article Search

Find 2 research articles relevant to your proposed project topic, and identify the key points from
the Abstract or rest of the article, which might be relevant to your project. Start keeping notes of
your source articles and the key ideas from them, so that you can come back to them later, if you
reference them in your project report.
A useful source of research articles can be found here:
http://www.ams.org/publications/publications
For reference you can find more advice on improving your academic writing style here:
39
resource to develop your academic writing style

http://cle.ust.hk/online_resources/common/advice/english/Spring%20201112/Writing/W3_S12.pdf
various resources for vocabulary building http://ilang.cle.ust.hk/resources-vocabulary/
various resources for grammar practice http://ilang.cle.ust.hk/resources-grammar/
Academic Word List practice http://www.uefap.com/vocab/select/awl.htm
a grammar approach to writing concisely
https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/gram_nominalization.html
a vocab approach to writing concisely
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/572/01/
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Unit 4 - Introducing your Project
40
understand how to structure an effective Introduction

be able to integrate a Theory section effectively
be able to integrate ideas from other writers appropriately
Fall 2016-17
Task 1: In your previous LANG courses you will have studied how to write Introductions for the
two different types of texts below.
Discuss together what you can remember about what makes a good Introduction for each of these.
What are the similarities between the Introductions for these types of texts? Are there any
differences?
Essays (year 1)
Technical reports (year 2)
In this course you will be writing a research report. How do you think the Introduction might be
similar or different to an Introduction for an essay or technical report?
Task 2: Read the information on Assessments 1 and 2 at the front of the book. For both these
assessment tasks you will introduce the audience/reader to your project so far i.e. writing a type
of Introduction to your project.
Which of the suggested content points do you think might be more challenging to answer? How
do you think you could ensure you are confident to answer them well?
Task 3: In general, most Introductions provide background information on the topic, and an
overview of the project design.
To do this, many Introductions have a key focus on the following:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
41
Research gap
Present the general topic area
Previous research or recent history about the topic
Purpose of the project
Significance of the topic
How you will conduct the project
Fall 2016-17
Complete the table below with the key focus areas listed above:
Type of
information
background to
the topic
Key focus
Possible questions that you might answer
1.
What is the general topic area?
2.
3.
Why is this a useful/worthwhile topic to study?

How does this topic apply in our lives or inform other areas
of physics study?
4.
5.
What aspects of this topic have other people studied already?

What did they find/conclude?
6.
What problem / question has arisen as a result of previous

research?
What is currently unknown / disputed about the topic?
What requires more evidence / testing to better support the
theory/model?
7.
8.
overview
of
project design
9. What is your research question?

10. What is your research objective?
11. What are you hypotheses?
12. What will be done in the project to measure something, to
test something, to determine something, etc. in order to
answer your research question or satisfy your research
objective?
13. What are the justifications for the suitability of subject(s) /
system(s) from the theoretical and practical points of view?
Task 4: Read the Introduction from a research paper below.

1. What do you like / not like about this Introduction? Why?
2. Which paragraphs contain the 6 key focus areas from the table above?
3. Did you notice the numbers in [square brackets]? What do they represent?
Supplementary Sample 3 (Introduction)
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Fall 2016-17
Task 5: As you may know, there is not one fixed way to organize the ideas in an Introduction
because different projects will necessitate different content and different organization. However
the table above should be a useful guide for content and structure. Of course, the more you read,
the more confident you will become with understanding how you can best write your own report.
There are also some characteristics that you could bear in mind, which tend to apply across most
Introductions:
Characteristics of good Introductions:
1. The reader is gradually led from their current broad general knowledge, to the specific focus
of this project and now wants to read the rest of the report.
2. Basic knowledge (that the reader may already have) is mentioned briefly for context, but
not explained in detail.
3. Higher level knowledge (that might be new to the reader) is presented step-by-step.
4. The reader is not distracted by unnecessary details or vacuous statements.
5. The reader can understand how this project is connected to other previous research.
6. The reader can understand why this project has been designed, why it has been designed in
this way, and why they should care about it.
7. The reader is helped with brief explanations of uncommon terminology or acronyms if
necessary.
Which of the above characteristics do you think you and your classmates might find most difficult?
Task 6: Underline each of the expressions below in the Introduction that you have just read.
These expressions might be useful for your own writing.
Useful Expressions: Introducing your project
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
The first published mathematical paper on.

.was authored by
The paper develops.
Next, .is examined
The discussion within the paper concludes.
Although this paper does model a
.several key.are not included in the model
Which of the expressions above are used to discuss previous research?

Which of the expressions above are used to highlight a research gap?
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Fall 2016-17
Task 7: Now read two more student-written Introductions. Which of the six key focus areas are
covered in each text? Annotate your text to show where each key focus area is covered.
Notes
Adapted from HKUST Capstone reports 2015

In 1963 Edward Norton Lorenz, an American mathematician, introduced a system of
ordinary differential equations (The Lorenz system), which has chaotic behavior for
certain pairs of values of parameters and initial conditions. He then later proposed a
simplified mathematical model of the Lorenz system (The Lorenz equations) for studying
the atmospheric convection used in meteorology to predict weather.
Intrigued by the chaotic behavior of the Lorenz equations, Michel Henon, who was a
French mathematician and astronomer, tried to simplify the Lorenz equations due to its
complicated 3-dimensional chaotic system so as to have a clearer image in mind of how
the Lorenz equations operate. As a result, Henon developed a simple 2-dimensional map
in 1976, well-known as the Henon map, as a simplified model of the Poincar section of
the Lorenz model but still capturing the stretching and folding dynamical properties of
the Lorenz system.
The main reasons of the Henon map being extensively studied are because it makes a
simpler mapping rather than solving complicated differential equations and provides a
first direct visualization of the fractal microstructure of strange attractor at that era. Due
to the interesting properties of the Henon map, this paper is served as a deeper analysis
with mathematical interpretation and graphs with different sets of parameters a and b,
aiming to give a better understanding of the dynamical motion of the Henon map.
Brusselator, which was first introduced by chemist Ilya Prigogine, describes a chemical
reaction that has the following procedures with inputs A, B and products D, E among all
oscillating autocatalytic reactions, which can be symbolized as
A X,
B + X Y + D,
2X + Y 3X,
X E,
with reaction rates k1, k2, k3 and k4 respectively. Note that chemicals X and Y work as
intermediate chemicals that do not appear in the overall reaction A + B D + E after
combining all the reactions together, which are the quantities that we are interested in.
There have been many research papers working on brusselator. [1] studied behavior of
brusslator and approximated period for the case B = A2 + 1 under the assumption of
constant A and B. Hin as posted in [2] found that period T is estimated to be
0.3378e0.2470B when A = 1 by using the Fast Fourier Transform, however, the study
mainly focuses on constant amounts of inputs as well. Our question to study is therefore
how solutions change along with time if we assume one chemical input to be changed
periodically. This paper first displays the equations interested, then studies fixed point(s)
for the equations and analyzes some properties of solutions obtained from the numerical
approach.
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Task 8: Reflection discuss together:

1. In terms of structure, what do the two student-written Introductions have in common?
What are the main differences in the structure?
2. What do you notice about how much maths detail, equations, etc. are included in the
three Introductions that you have just read? Why do you think the Introductions are
written like this?
3. What do you notice about the amount of basic background context that is provided for the
reader? What does this tell you about who the audience is?
4. Did you notice any useful expressions in these Introductions that introduce the key focus
information? Underline any useful expressions that youd like to remember.
Language Focus (3): Reduced Relative Clauses

Language Task 1: As we saw in Unit 3.2, in academic writing, you are encouraged to be concise.
Reducing relative clauses can help to maintain the conciseness in your writing. Look at the
example below:
Normal relative clause
Most of the water that sustains life on Earth probably came from
asteroids rather than comets.
Reduced relative clause
Most of the water sustaining life on Earth probably came from

asteroids rather than comets.
Look at three further 3 paired examples. Notice how the language has changed.
Ex 1
Ex 2
Ex 3
Normal relative clause
Reduced relative clause
That is the conclusion of scientists working on the

Rosetta space mission, who have measured the
levels of hydrogen isotopes in the comet 67P.
If comets struck the Earth after its formation, they
could have delivered the water that makes up the
oceans and our bodies.
The ratio of deuterium to hydrogen in the comet is
much greater than the ratio found on Earth, which
suggests that comets supplied Earth with only a
small fraction of its water.
That is the conclusion of scientists working on the

Rosetta space mission, measuring the levels of
hydrogen isotopes in the comet 67P.
If comets struck the Earth after its formation, they
could have delivered the water making up the oceans
and our bodies.
The ratio of deuterium to hydrogen in the comet is
much greater than the ratio found on Earth,
suggesting that comets supplied Earth with only a
small fraction of its water.
Now go back to the text above on the topic of Lorenz / Henon map, and find two examples of
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Fall 2016-17
normal relative clauses and two examples of reduced relative clauses. Language Task 2:
Underline the relative clause in each example below, then edit it, to be more concise.
1. The forced Morse Oscillator adds a sinusoidal term in the original equation, which produces
2 results where the original one cannot be observed.
2. A slight change in the conditions can lead to a significantly different result after a period of
time. The phenomena which results is referred to as chaos.
3. The Duffing equation is a powerful mathematical tool, which is used to describe various
oscillations.
4. The Duffing equation or Duffing oscillator, which is named after Georg Duffing, is a nonlinear second-order differential equation, which is used to model certain oscillators.
5. Originally, the Henon-Heiles system, which was first proposed by Michel Henon and Carl
Heiles, was the simplified two dimensional non-linear axi-symmetric model.
6. In order to investigate the features of the orbits, both physical and mathematical methods are
used, which include Finat Time Lyapunov Exponent, Hamiltonian mechanics and the
Runge-Kutta method.
Self-study: Analyze Introductions

Find 2 research articles relevant to your proposed project topic, and analyze the Introduction
section.
Which of the key focus areas from this unit are covered in the Introduction?
Can you see any features of good academic writing in these articles? How formal is the
writing?
How can the information stated in these Introductions help you to design your own project?
Remember to keep notes of your source articles and the key ideas from them, so that you can
come back to them later, if you reference them in your project report. A useful source of research
articles can be found here http://www.ams.org/publications/publications
For reference you can find more advice on using reduced relative clauses here:
general advice and examples http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/relative-clauses/
examples and practice http://www.grammar-quizzes.com/clauses-6.html
relative clause review http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/clauses.htm#relative
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4.2. Theory Section
Task 1: The Theory section of a report may look very different for Pure, Applied and Statistics
track projects. Sit with a group of students from your track. Discuss together - what might this
section of the report look like?
Task 2: Read the Theory section of the research report below.

1. What is the general topic or purpose of each paragraph?
2. Do you think the ordering of the 5 paragraphs is logical? Why are they ordered in this way?
Supplementary Sample 4 (Theory)

Task 3: Reflection discuss in groups:

1. Did you notice any useful expressions that introduce the key focus area of each paragraph?
Underline any useful expressions that you want to remember.
2. Did you notice how references are made to other peoples work? Underline two examples.
3. Why are some symbols and formulae integrated into the paragraphs, and some separated
on their own line?
Task 4: What problems do you think students might have when they write this section of the
report?
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Fall 2016-17
Task 5: As you have seen, you will need to read multiple sources, in order to synthesize ideas for
your project. How do we deal with synthesizing ideas from multiple sources?
Circle the best options: introducing your project (i.e. through the Introduction section and Theory
section) might involve
paraphrasing / copying sources
summarizing ideas / explaining at length
evaluating / describing what other people have found
citing relevant sources / relying on your own ideas
incorporating / not incorporating your own analysis or critical thinking toward some of
the writers
Language Focus (4): Reporting Other Studies
Language Task 1:
Below are four common occasions when you might refer to other peoples work. In which section
of your report would you find each of these?
1. You might provide background information on the topic and its significance, which
you have learned from other text books, journals or websites.
2. You might discuss the recent developments in the field, in order to identify the research
gap that you intend to fill with your own study.
3. You might mention a model/method that a previous study used, in order to rationalize
the design of your own project.
4. You might compare the findings/results/data from your study with those of a
previous study, in order to cite agreement or disagreement, to make interpretations.
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Fall 2016-17
Language Task 2: Match the expressions in the table below to the four points highlighted above,
to show when you might most likely use such expressions.
Useful expressions for: ..

The relationship between .and has been extensively studied over the last decade.
Several recent studies have indicated that
To date, little focus has been placed on
It has been suggested that further investigation into is warranted.
Few studies have explicitly addressed the issue of
Bolt [1] similarly found that
As predicted by Smith [5] these results demonstrate
The results obtained suggest good agreement with
This is consistent with.
While previous studies have pointed towards ., this study has shown that
Our observation is in contrast to Ward et al. [6] who suggest that
This differs significantly from the findings of Smith [5].
This is in line with the findings of Smith [5].
..a similar result to that of Smith [5].
A standard procedure for .. has been .
Contrary to what was expected with this methodology, it was found that
have been used successfully for...
Useful expressions for: .
There is increasing evidence to support the hypothesis that
This phenomenon is well understood by theory.
However.are not so well understood.
There remains minimal evidence to support.
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Fall 2016-17
Language Task 3: Reporting verbs

A common problem observed in student writing is to treat reporting verbs interchangeably. Very
few reporting verbs, however, are interchangeable; the vast majority have a unique meaning,
therefore you should try to choose the most appropriate reporting verb, which accurately conveys
what you are trying to say. Choosing the wrong verb can lead to exaggerating a claim, underplaying
a claim or confusing the reader; none of which are desirable in clear, precise scientific writing.
Reporting verbs can be considered on different scales, e.g.
Some verbs carry

judgment. These are
used to demonstrate
our own evaluation of
the authors work.
Some verbs carry no

judgment. These are used
simply to report what an
author has previously
written, without evaluating
it.
Some verbs are used to

report strong claims
which the original
author is sure about.
Some verbs are used to

report tentative claims
which the original author is
less sure about.
Some verbs show

agreement with the
original author.
Some verbs show

disagreement with the
original author.
Identify three or four different verbs that you could put somewhere on each of the scales above.
Of course some verbs fit somewhere all three scales.
In order to learn how to use these words accurately, appropriately and naturally, you should try
to find and notice lots of examples in their natural context i.e. you need to read a lot! If you
expose yourself to lots of examples, you will start to notice patterns in language, and you can
use this to learn how to use this language more naturally in your own writing.
You can use wordneighbors.ust.hk to search for examples of words in context, to help you see
how these words are used in context naturally.
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Fall 2016-17
Language Focus (5): Paraphrasing
Language Task 1: Steps to effective paraphrasing

Read the information below about one mathematicians basic steps to show how she
paraphrases and summarizes a text.
Which steps below (or which of your own steps) do you think are most difficult?
Summarizing a text
Step 1 Record the source on your notes page so you can cite the source later.
Step 2 Understand the ideas: Read key parts of the text several times. Look up unfamiliar
words to make sure you fully understand the passage.
Step 3 Annotate the text to identify which ideas to omit from your summary, e.g. underline
important ideas and cross out the minor details.
Step 4 Start building your own notes: e.g. write only a few words for each idea rather than
complete sentences. Use subheadings and bullet points in your notes to help you
process the relationships between ideas. Use synonyms where obvious to do so (not
for words that explain the technical concepts). Change grammar structures from the
original text if easy to do so.
Step 5 Plan your summary: Edit your annotated notes to build the structure of your
summary. What will be the topic of the first sentence? Do any of the ideas in the
article need re-ordering in the summary? How will you organize your notes into plans
for paragraph(s)?
Step 6 Write your text from your summary plan. Try not to look at the original article
while writing. Remember to include in-text citation in appropriate style.
Step 7 Check your summary against the original. Re-read the original text to make sure
you have kept the exact meaning of the original.
Step 8 Add an end-of-text citation at the end of your document, in appropriate style.
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Language Task 2: Practice

Paraphrase the highlighted parts of the text below. Remember you can paraphrase by:
using alternative vocab if effective to do so
using alternative grammar structures if effective to do so
reordering ideas if effective to do so
Title: The vastness of the universe

Our experience of everyday life today does not seem
to prepare us to grasp the vastness of the universe. (1)
We all have a vague idea of its immensity just from
the ever-expanding dark space and faraway stars. But
how big is it actually? How far does the horizon go
on? (2) To help us better answer these questions,
lets turn to something significantly smaller (in
universal scale) and more familiar: the Earth.
Somewhere in the universe is the Earth. It is the third
planet from the center of our solar system, the Sun.
As big as the scale may sound already, our sun is
merely one of the billions of stars in a spiral galaxy
called the Milky Way. (3) But where in the cosmic
universe is the Milky Way? According to a recent
discovery by a group of scientists, the Milky Way is
part of a much bigger system of galaxies known as a
super cluster that they have named Laniakea. The
Milky Way is nested in the furthest reach of the
structure among other 8000 galaxies forming the
super cluster. How many of these seemingly endless
super clusters are there? (4) We dont know yet.
There could be an infinite number of super clusters
out there, or even a bigger body containing thousands
of superclusters.
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Fall 2016-17
Self-study: Access Online Resources

Access some of the language resources below to develop your writing skills. These extend the
Language Focus topics of this unit.
Advice and examples of reporting verbs

https://www.uts.edu.au/sites/default/files/article/downloads/reporting-verbs-2.pdf
Examples of reporting verbs

https://www.jcu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/104215/jcu_131158.pdf
Paraphrasing advice https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/1/
Summarzing advice http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/summary-using-it-wisely/
Differences between paraphrasing and summarizing

http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/using-sources/paraphrase
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Fall 2016-17
Unit 5 - Delivering a Presentation Effectively
54
be aware of factors to consider for effective use of voice

be more aware of how to handle challenging situations
be aware of effective use of body language
be able to design and use visual aids effectively
be able to talk confidently about your project
Fall 2016-17
5.1. Sounding Confident
Task 1: Think about some of the presentations that youve seen either online or face-to-face.
Which aspects of voice control do you think most affect the audience in a presentation? How do
they affect the audience?
volume
varying intonation
stressing particular words
pausing
speed
Task 2: Self evaluation: Mark a cross (x) on the 5 scales below, to correspond to your own abilities
when you deliver presentations.
too quiet
flat intonation
confident with stress
uncomfortable with pauses
too fast/rushed
too loud
varied intonation
rarely stress words
confident with pauses
too slow
Now mark a star (*) on the same scales above, to correspond to where you would like to be. Which
scales show that you need the most improvement? Which are you already confident with?
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Task 3: In a presentation, we separate our language into chunks of ideas, by using frequent
pausing. This makes our message easier to follow.
Listen to the following video clip about What is the likelihood that mankind will destroy itself?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NPC47qMJVg (0:00 - 1:00) delivered by Prof. Michio
Kaku, City University of New York.
While listening, read the transcript below and mark the pauses by a slash /.
I, say, looking at the next 100 years, that there are two trends in the world today. The first trend
is toward what we call a type one civilization, a planetary civilization. A civilization that I
resemble something out a book, Rogers or Flash Gordon. A type 2 civilization is stellar. They
consume so much energy; they can play with stars. Thats, for example, the Federation of planet
in Star trek. Star Trek we represent that the pickle pie to civilization. Then we have Type 3,
which is galactic, like the board or Independence Day, or the Empire The Empire Strikes Back.
That is a Type 3 civilization which is truly galactic. Now, by the time you reach Type 2, you are
immortal; nothing knows in science can destroy a Type 2 civilization .
What do you like about his speaking style?
Task 4: For each of the tips below, discuss which of the 5 features in Task 1 are addressed.
1. Mark horizontal lines on your script to show where to break for a second or two.
2. Watch an online presentation and note down which words the presenter says louder or
slower that the rest.
3. While you are watching a film in English, pause the film occasionally to repeat back a
line, using the same pitch pattern as the speaker.
4. Record yourself practising part of your presentation with an audio voice recording app
on your phone. Listen to it and decide if you are speaking faster or slower than you
thought you were.
5. Underline the words on your script which you want to emphasize to the audience.
6. While practising your presentation, count 1,2,3 in your head when you want to make a
brief silence for your audience to process some information.
7. Practise your presentation speaking just a little bit slower than normal, and try to use
your voice to sound more enthusiastic.
Which of these tips have you already tried?
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Fall 2016-17
Task 5: Watch the video and make notes on the 5 aspects of a powerful voice. Which aspect do
you think is most useful for you to think about, in order to improve your own presentations?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE7QJSO449o
Task 6: In a presentation you may be faced with various challenging situations. Work in a group
of 4 and following the Steps below.
Step 1: Discuss - have you ever encountered a stressful problem during a presentation before?
What happened? What did you do?
Step 2: Imagine yourself in the following situations. Discuss what would you do if
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
you have a mind block?

you realize that you are running out of time?
you dont know the answer to a question in the Q&A?
you realize you skipped something?
you realize your audience is lost or not following?
Step 3: A key challenge to address in an academic presentation may be to ensure the audience
can follow the complex ideas that you are talking about. Which of the following strategies do
you think would be most effective in helping the audience to follow your ideas? Which strategies
do you use already? Discuss together.
1. Make sure your audience understand complicated vocab by providing an explanation
immediately e.g. what I mean by that is..// lets assume that .// let me explain what
I mean when I say// just to clarify, what I mean is// to make sure we are on the
same page, what I mean is// You can think of this concept as similar to.
2. Clarification of definitions, technical terms and acronyms
3. Repetition of key points
4. Reviewing key points at the end of sections before moving on
5. Short simple sentences
6. Pausing before and after important points, difficult points, key words, etc.
7. Getting the audience to think, not just listen, e.g. using rhetorical question to structure
ideas through the presentation
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Fall 2016-17
Speaking Practice: Reflect on Challenges
You are going to share your progress, challenges and experiences of developing your project so
far. Follow the Steps below.
Step 1: First, you have 5 min to reflect on your progress and challenges so far that youve
experienced I your project. Think about the following questions:
1. What is your project objective?
2. Go to the back of the book and skim the page called Stages of a Research Project. Which
stages have you addressed already, and which have you not yet addressed?
3. What challenges have you encountered so far with your project?
4. What have you learned from planning your project so far about? About research skills?
About maths? About anything else?
5. What will you be doing this week, in terms of developing your project?
Step 2: Now work in a group of 3. Discuss some of the questions from Step 1 with your group.
You dont have to discuss them in order just choose the most useful/interesting questions to
discuss.
Has your group encountered similar problems? Do you have any advice to help solve each others
challenges?
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Fall 2016-17
Self-study: Progress Review
Go back through Units 1-4 to review our learning points so far.
Circle three learning outcomes for each unit that you feel you feel most confident with.
Highlight one learning outcome in each unit that you want to review again.
Make some notes in the table, about any key points/ideas/tips that you want to remember.
Topics covered
1. Identifying a Research
Topic
1.2. Getting Started with a
Research Project
2. Preparing an Engaging
Presentation
3. Academic Writing for

Research Reports
3.1. Overview of Research
Reports
3.2. Features of Academic
Writing
4. Introducing your
Project
4.2. Theory Section
Learning Outcomes
Particular points/ideas/tips
I want to remember

understand what research is - and what research is not
understand the stages in conducting a research project
understand considerations for developing a research
aim
be able to talk confidently about a maths topic
be aware of useful strategies to engage the audience

deliver a 2 min presentation on a proposed project
topic
implement strategies to critically read research articles

analyze Abstracts and Introduction sections
be aware of strategies to write more concisely
understand how to structure an effective Introduction

be able to integrate a Theory section effectively
be able to integrate ideas from other writers
appropriately
For reference you can find further advice on dealing with challenging situations:
59
Overcoming technology fails https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znxQOPFg2mo

Handling difficult questions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__wN6LdGSto
Overcoming fear https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUEK9Sab4Vs
Overcoming nerves https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tShavGuo0_E
Fall 2016-17
5.2. Creating a Visual Image
Task 1: Think about some presentations you have seen before.
How do the following affect the audience?

Which do you think has the biggest impact on the audience? Why?
facial expressions
hand gestures
body movement
posture
PowerPoints/visuals
Task 2: Discuss in your group what are some possible reasons why people use PowerPoints (or
Keynote, Prezi, etc.) during a presentation? Which of the following suggestions do you think are
the most sensible reasons for using PowerPoints (or Keynote, Prezi, etc.)?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
To remind the presenter what to talk about next

To give the audience something to look at
To show something visually, that is difficult to communicate orally
To make a message more memorable
To keep the audiences attention
To stop the audience from staring at the presenter for too long
To reproduce what you are saying in visual format
To provide a handout/notes for the audience
Task 3: Discuss in your group ideas for the following:
What makes a good PowerPoint slide design?

What makes a bad PowerPoint slide design?
Which of these ideas do you think you already do well? Which do you want to improve for the
future?
Task 4: What do you think Death by PowerPoint means? Watch this video and make notes
below on points you want to remember. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjcO2ExtHso
Which tips do you think will be most useful to remember for your future presentations?
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Task 5: Which of the following strategies/techniques do you think are good advice for using
PowerPoints effectively during a presentation? Or bad advice?
1. Check that everyone can see your PPT, and move out of the way if necessary. If
youre standing in the way, your beautiful PPT slide will be wasted because some people
cant see it.
2. Explain the image/graph/data on the PPT, dont just show a PPT without talking
about it. What you can see here, is.// This here shows the key trend of.// You can
clearly see on the graph that.// The peak that you can see in 2011 is obviously due to
.// The upper part of the chart youre looking at is..
3. Blank the screen if you are not using the PPT right now. It can be confusing and
unnecessary to still see your PPT graph, when you are no longer talking about it.
4. Point clearly at exactly which part of the PPT we should look at (or use a laser
pointer), dont just wave your arms in the vague direction of the PPT. You look much
more confident when you point clearly and precisely.
5. If there is a lot of information on a PPT, e.g. a complex graph or diagram, give your
audience a brief moment of silence to process the information. Then continue talking.
6. If you have a complex PPT to show, explain briefly what you are going to show,
before you reveal the slide. This helps prepare the audience for what is coming next.
The next chart youll see shows the most important findings of our research. /// What Im
going to show you next is .
7. If you have a lot of points on your PPT, reveal them gradually, one by one, with the
animation function. This can help them see only the information that is relevant to what
you are saying at each moment.
8. If you show an equation or formula on a PPT, you dont always need to read out
the whole equation out verbally too.
9. If you show a full sentence on a PPT, you dont always need to read out the sentence
to the audience too.
10. Face your audience and speak towards your audience, not towards your PPT.
Remember, the PPT is not listening to you.
Star three strategies/techniques above that you think will most improve your own presentations
in the future.
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Fall 2016-17
Speaking Practice: Voice and Body Language

Your upcoming mid-course assessed presentation will be to introduce your research project.
Today you are going to practise talking about your project to lots of different partners, to gain
confidence. Follow the Steps below.
Step 1: Think about your ideas for 5 minutes.

Later you will be asked to talk briefly about some of the questions below.
First, just think about the questions and tick which ones you think you could talk about for 45
seconds, and which ones you would find difficult to talk about for 45 seconds.
1. What is the general background to your project topic?
2. Why is your project topic interesting for you?
3. What are the applications of the general maths area that you are researching? Applications
for daily life or applications to other areas of maths or science?
4. How much research has already been done in this area?
5. Why is research in this area worthwhile?
6. What do you still need to find out more about?
7. How will you collect/produce/discuss your results later?
8. What have you learned, from conducting your research project so far?
Step 2: Timed Talking
Focus on using your body language and voice effectively during this Step.
Stand up and find a partner. Talk for 45 seconds about question 1 above, then listen to your
partner for 45 seconds.
Change partner after every question, so that you have talked to 8 different people to answer
the 8 questions above.
Step 3: Reflection
ability to talk effectively about your research topic for the future:
62
Which of the questions listed above were you most / least confident to talk about?
Did your partners ideas inspire you to think about your own topic in a different way?
Which aspects of effective voice control and body language did you pay attention to while
you were speaking (intonation, speed, volume, pausing, stress)?
What feedback did you receive from classmates or the teacher, that you want to bear in
mind for the future?
Fall 2016-17
Self-study: Visual image
Explore some of the follow links and identify 3 useful points from each, that you would like to
remember.
1. Advice on effective PowerPoint design:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duf_gutmvjo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i68a6M5FFBc
2. Advice on effective body language:
63
http://www.speakingaboutpresenting.com/delivery/9-ways-space-presentation/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooOQQOQdhH8
Fall 2016-17
Unit 6 - Assessed Presentations
64
be able to deliver an effective scientific research presentation

be able to evaluate the effectiveness of presentations
Fall 2016-17
Task 1: This week you will watch the assessed presentations of your classmates. What do you
think you will be able to learn from your classmates, by watching their presentations?
Task 2: What would you like to receive feedback on after your presentation? Remember to tell
your classmates, before you start your presentation!
Speaking Practice: Assessed Presentations

While you watch your classmates presentations, take notes on the next page.
Reflection: Make notes on the peer feedback or comments from your classmates or teacher - that
you want to bear in mind to help you develop your project in the next few weeks.
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Fall 2016-17
While you watch your classmates presentations, take notes below.

Student:
Student:
Student:
Question for Q&A:
Question for Q&A:
Question for Q&A:
Comments:
Comments:
Comments:
Student:
Student:
Student:
Question for Q&A:
Question for Q&A:
Question for Q&A:
Comments:
Comments:
Comments:
Student:
Student:
Student:
Question for Q&A:
Question for Q&A:
Question for Q&A:
Comments:
Comments:
Comments:
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Fall 2016-17
Unit 7 - Methods and Methodology
67
be understand how to select appropriate content for a Methods/Methodology section

be able to analyze TED Talks for their effectiveness
be able to implement strategies to help the audience follow complex theory
be able to write a Method section with clear language
Fall 2016-17
7.1. Methodology for Data-Driven Projects
Task 1: Sit in a group with students from the same track as you (Pure / Applied / Statistics).
Discuss in your group:
1. What do you think is the purpose of this section of the report for the reader?
2. This unit is divided into Methods for Theoretical Projects and Methodology for DataDriven Projects. What might be the differences?
3. Which of these (Theoretical or Data-Driven) do you think is more applicable to your own
project?
Task 2: Look at the following mini extracts from the Methods/Methodology section of various
different project reports. Which do you think is more likely to come from a data-driven project and
which are more likely to come from a theoretical project?
1. This was extracted from meteorological observations for Hong Kong in 2014 by Hong
Kong Observatory. Daily average readings were used of four variables with a sample of
size 365. The four variables include air temperature (deg. C), relative humidity (%),
amount of cloud (%) and wind speed (km/h).
2. At first, M1 proposes to W2 while both M2 and M3 propose to W1. Since W2 prefers M3 to
M1, M1 will be rejected and is blocked already in this step. Still, consider M2 and M3
also, both of them will be rejected, as W1 prefers M1 the most. Next, M1 proposes to his
second preference W1 and will be accepted this time because W1 wants M1 most. At the
same time, M2 proposes to W3 and M3 proposes to W2. Though W3 prefers M3 to M2, it is
supposed that W3 would reject M2, M3 is engaged with W2 already because M3 suits W2
most. Finally, W3 and M2 are left out, so they will be engaged and stable marriage is
achieved.
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Task 3: The following types of information are usually included in the Methods/Methodology
section of a report, depending on the project.
Think about your own project. Tick which of these you think you will need to include in your
project.
Description of procedures you undertook in order to obtain your results

Description of a hypothetical scenario
Reference to data sources
Assumptions made
Reference to analytical processes/methods that were used
Reference to variables
Workings to the maths problem
Rationale of why processes/procedures have been chosen/used
Reference to figures which help visualize a model that is being developed
Reference to tables which summarize input data that was manipulated
What other types of information might you need to include in your project
Methods/Methodology?
Task 4: Which of the following are from data-driven projects? Ignore underlined parts for now.
69
1.
The past 9 years worth of the price and payoff of CPL were taken as the dependent and independent
variables respectively in the model from the annual report of CPL. The fuel price was extracted from BP
Statistical Review of World Energy (2014) to factor into the relevant analysis.
2.
From the results, a regression function was executed to get the unknown parameters in the formula as
below.
3.
To calculate R squared, the method used in this study was multiple linear regression analysis for the
statistical model in finding the relationship between air temperature and three factors including relative
humidity, cloud cover and wind speed
4.
Regardless of the reality, following assumptions are made. First, each person has strict preference over the
opposite gender. The men have perfect information about the women in order to have their full preference
lists at the beginning. It is also assumed that no man proposes to the same woman twice. In addition, no
couple would divorce and form a new matching which makes them a better off. In this example, we take
n=3, which means there are 3 men and 3 women in the marriage market.
5.
To test the weak-form efficiency, information from the S&P 500, NASDAQ and Dow Jones from Yahoo!
Finance were selected from Jan 2005 to Jan 2015. The weekly returns for each index were calculated. Then
Autocorrelation test, and Runs test were used to test its randomness.
Fall 2016-17
Task 5: Notice the underlined expressions above. What language feature do they all have in
common?
Task 6: You are going to watch a TED Talk about The Maths of War in which the speaker
presents his research project. What kind of maths do you think might be involved in this
research? Discuss some ideas together.
Task 7: Use the task box below while you are watching to take notes. Pause the video at each
section to discuss your ideas.
TED Talk: The Maths of War
Speaker: Sean Gourley
Source: https://www.ted.com/talks/sean_gourley_on_the_mathematics_of_war/transcript?language=en
(0:00-0:32) Introduction
Qu.1: How did he get his initial idea for his research topic?
(0:32-2:00) Methodology
Qu.2: What procedures/stages did he undertake in this project?
(2:00-2:15) Expected findings

Qu.3: What kind of pattern did he expect to find in his results?
(2:15-3:55) Findings
Qu.4: What kind of pattern did he actually find in his results for Iraq?
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Writing Practice: Write a Methodology

Step 1: We are going to focus on the Methodology section of this TED Talk. Re-watch this
section (0:32-2:00) and take notes on the details.
Step 2: Now work in a group of 3 to write one paragraph of the Methodology section of the TED
Talk weve just seen. Think carefully about using appropriate academic style.
Step 3: Share your paragraph with another group and give feedback on your classmates
paragraphs.
Step 4: Think of 3 common grammar errors that you know you often make in your writing. Now
walk around the room and read the other students paragraphs. Proofread them for your own list
of 3 common grammar errors.
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Self-study: Analyze Methods/Methodology Sections
Find 2 research articles relevant to your proposed project topic, and analyze the
Methods/Methodology section.
Identify if there are any data sources mentioned

Identify all the verbs that indicate a procedure or process being carried out e.g. extract,
select, calculate, analyze
Are there any to+infinitive structures which indicate the purpose of a procedure or
process?
How might the information stated in these texts help you to design your own project?
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7.2. Methods for Theoretical Projects
Task 1: Later you are going to read the Methods section of the zombie outbreak report that we
read about earlier in the course. Recall that this study stated the following in the Abstract:
The goal of this paper is to develop a zombie model that represents AMC's The Walking Dead
outbreak and develop numerical methods by which mankind can calculate appropriate actions.
What kind of information would you expect to see in the Methods section of this report?
Task 2: Read the Methods section of the report below.

While you read, discuss and take notes on:
What kind of information does each paragraph provide?

Why is this information necessary for showing how the writer developed a zombie model
or developed numerical methods?
Supplementary Sample 5 (Methods)

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Task 3: There are lots of useful expressions in the report you have just read. Many of these help
signal to the reader what type of information is being discussed, e.g.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Rationale of how the model is being designed

Prose maths workings
Procedures that the writer is undertaking
Reference to tables and figures
Match the four points above to the example expressions extracted from the Method section of the
zombie outbreak report.
Highlight some of these expressions in the report you have just read.
Useful expressions for ..
Let x be .
Assuming.
Recall.
The term.has
we can approximate .as.
which has the solution.
Many previous models have.including the models of Witkowski

[9]
Including these will create a more
This is not consistent with any known.
From.we learn that.
This can be important for modeling
shown in Figure 3
The flow diagram of the model .is
shown in Figure 9.
The flow diagram in Figure 9 gives.
Transformed data .is shown in Table 2
the plot is shown in Figure 7.
We now begin to build up...from the basic from to its complete

form.
To find.
will need to be examined
is used
To model this.we introduceinto the model
..is calculated in the same manner as
We can transform the data in Table 1 by.
From here on, we will
Task 4: Sit with a new partner, so that if possible at least one of you is doing a theoretical
project. Discuss your theoretical projects together. Which of the four points above might be
useful to include in the Methods sections of your or your partners theoretical project report?
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Task 5: Read the following student-written Methods section and make notes about the type of
information that each paragraph contains.
Which of the above four points are also included in this text?
Methods
Title: Gale-Shapley stable marriage model
Source: student-written
Considering a Gale-Shapley stable marriage model of a mini marriage market in the men-proposing option, by the deferred
acceptance algorithm under game theory, stable matching situation is attained, such that if any man and woman are left out,
they will pair up eventually. Furthermore, the probability of finding the best person is calculated. Making use of
differentiation under calculus, differentiate the probability once can maximize it and the corresponding optimal time for
making a decision can be found.
Under the world of mathematical make-believe, it is trusted that stable marriage can be achieved in the society. By deferred
acceptance algorithm, a kind of algorithm game theory, everyone is able to find a spouse. To study this, actually there is two
alternative ways, either men-proposing or women-proposing. Now consider a men-proposing example.
I.
Scenario
There is a set M of n men and a set W of n women, where n is the size of the marriage market. A matching between
M and W is a bijection, one-to-one correspondence function, denoted by . A man-woman pair blocks if they
prefer others to be their spouses under . Stable matching is achieved until there is no man-woman pair blocking .
II.
Assumption
Regardless of the reality, following assumptions are made. First, each person has strict preference over the opposite
gender. Secondly, the men have perfect information about the women in order to have their full preference lists at
the beginning. Thirdly, no man proposes to the same woman twice. Last but not least, no couple would divorce and
form a new matching which makes them a better off.
III.
Procedure
Each man proposes to his favorite woman, each woman either engages with the man or reject him. Then, each
rejected man proposes to his next favorite woman. This process goes on until all women have been proposes to.
In this example, take n=3, which means there are 3 men and 3 women in the marriage market.
Wi and Mi stand for woman and man respectively, where i=1,2,3. For the left table, each column represents the corresponding
Wis preference of man, say, W1 prefers M1 to M3 to M2. The same for the right table.
At first, M1 proposes to W2 while both M2 and M3 propose to W1. Since W2 prefers M3 to M1, M1 will be rejected and is
blocked already in this step. Still, consider M2 and M3 also, both of them will be rejected, as W1 prefers M1 the most. Next, M1
proposes to his second preference W1 and will be accepted this time because W1 wants M1 most. At the same time, M2
proposes to W3 and M3 proposes to W2. Though W3 prefers M3 to M2, it is supposed that W3 would reject M2, M3 is engaged
with W2 already because M3 suits W2 most. Finally, W3 and M2 are left out, so they will be engaged and stable marriage is
achieved.
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Task 6: What problems do you think students might encounter when they present the theoretical
Methods section in a presentation?
Task 7: Later you are going to watch a TED Talk about Fibonacci numbers. He tries to present
the processes - of working through an abstract concept in a way that the audience can easily
follow.
Task 8: Use the task box below while you are watching the talk to take notes. Pause the video at
each section to discuss your ideas.
TED Talk: The Magic of Fibonacci Numbers
Speaker: Arthur Benjamin
Source: http://www.ted.com/talks/arthur_benjamin_the_magic_of_fibonacci_numbers
Introduction Section
Qu.1: What do you like about his Introduction? Why?
Main body of Presentation (Theory and Methods)

Qu.2: What strategies does he use to help the audience follow the mathematical
content/theory?
Conclusion Section
Qu.3: How effective do you think the Conclusion is? Why?
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Speaking Practice: Teach the Teacher

Step 1: Work in a group of 4. Read the two brainteasers below. Discuss how to solve them.
Brainteaser 1
Brainteaser 2
A gambler puts three boxes in front of you.

One contains $1000, and the other two are
empty. You choose one of the boxes to keep,
but you are not allowed to open it yet. The
gambler then opens one of the other boxes, and
reveals that it is empty. The gambler now gives
you an opportunity to change the box youve
chosen. Should you change it?
You have 12 balls and a scale. 11 of the balls

are identical in weight, but 1 weighs either
slightly more or less than all the other balls.
Work out how to find out which ball is
different AND tell if it is heavier or lighter than
the others - if you are only allowed to use the
scale three times.
Step 2: Now prepare and practice with your partner how you are going to teach the teacher to
solve one of the brainteasers above. Remember to practice some of the following strategies,
which we saw in the TED Talk:
Using clear simple language

Using short sentences
Pausing after each chunk of information to allow the teacher to process the information
Stressing key words
Checking understanding e.g. Are you with me? Are you following? See?
Recapping what we have achieved so far, after each stage e.g. So now we have
Step 3: Choose one representative to present your Methods to the teacher to explain to him/her
how to solve the brainteaser.
Step 4: Reflection listening to the Methods of other speakers, what did you notice about the
speakers who were effective? What speaking strategies did they use to make their Methods easier
to follow and clear to understand?
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Self-study: Research about Methods/Methodology Sections
Find out more about how to write the Methods/Methodology section.

For general information:
http://yuwritingcenter.wikispaces.com/How+to+Write+the+Methodology+of+a+Research+Paper
For advanced research projects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQFSNB-0sfQ
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Unit 8 - Discussing your Project Findings
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be aware of useful language for Results/Discussions

be able to write a Discussion with appropriate comparisons and tentative language
be able to use tables, figures, equations and symbols appropriately according to standard
conventions
be aware of how to weave interpretation and significance of results smoothly through a
Discussion
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8.1. Results and Discussion
Task 1: We are going to read an extract of a report which uses Game Theory.
First, read the Abstract to the report below. It has been divided into numbered sections.
Identify which numbered section is a summary of the results and discussion mentioned.
Title: A Game-Theoretical Approach for Designing Market Trading Strategies
Source: Garrison W. Greenwood and Richard Tymerski, 2008 IEEE Symposium on
Computational Intelligence and Games (CIG'08)
http://www.csse.uwa.edu.au/cig08/Proceedings/papers/8011.pdf
Task 2: Read the Section V Experimental Results of this report (which represents the Results
and Discussion section of a report. Its divided into four parts for you.
What is the main function of each of the four parts in this section?
Supplementary Sample 7 (Results and Discussion)
Title: A Game-Theoretical Approach for Designing Market Trading Strategies
Source: Garrison W. Greenwood and Richard Tymerski, 2008 IEEE Symposium on
Computational Intelligence and Games (CIG'08)
http://www.csse.uwa.edu.au/cig08/Proceedings/papers/8011.pdf
Task 3: The Results and Discussion section often answers the following questions in the table
below.
Complete the table by matching the questions in the table to the types of information below:
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statement of findings
summary of methodology
interpretation of findings
Type of information
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Questions to answer in this part

(a) how were the results obtained?
(b) how were the results analyzed?
(c) what were the main findings?
(d) do the findings support the hypothesis? / was the objective
of the study achieved?
(e) were there any unusual/unexpected results?
(f) what do the findings show/indicate?
(g) how do the findings compare to other research?
(h) how can you account for any unusual/unexpected results?
(i) what were the main sources of error in the research process?
(j) what is the significance/usefulness/impact of these findings?
(k) what further research / future improvements are suggested?
Task 4: We have seen that two key aspects of the Results and Discussion are (1) statement of
findings and (2) interpretation of findings. Match these to the useful expressions below to show
what each box might be most useful for.
Useful Expressions for .
Table IV shows that.
Fig. 1 illustrates that.
As demonstrated in Table IX,.
As can be seen in Fig. 1,
.are given in Fig. 3.
It was found that
The analysis demonstrated that.
Useful Expressions for .
This is in line with the findings of Smith [2].
As predicted by Smith [2], these results demonstrate
This differs significantly from the findings of Smith [2].
While previous studies (Smith [2]) have pointed towards , this study has shown that
Underline the main verbs in each expression above.
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Language Focus (6): Comparisons

Language Task 1: Discussion sections usually require some kind of comparison, e.g.:
Comparison (1): comparing multiple results or data sets from your own project, e.g.:
In contrast,
Similarly,
Conversely
Comparison (2): comparing your findings to the hypothesis, theory, or previous research, e.g.:
which are in line with our predictions.

which was unexpected, given that
Contrary to our expectation, we found that.
Our findings corroborate those of Bolt.
The results shown here would indicate similarities with those of Bolt.
These results are in the range of those reported by Bolt.
The results are consistent with the commonly accepted theory
Which of the two above two types of comparisons are found in the Game Theory
Results/Discussion text that you read in this unit?
Language Task 2: Did you notice any language used to make comparisons in the text you read
earlier in this unit about Game Theory strategies for market trading? Underline the following
expressions in the text, which are used to make comparisons.
In part 1 of the text: similarlyin the same way

In part 2 of the text: are considerably higher than
In part 3 of the text: was compared against compares the .respectively
In part 4 of the text: conversely.not as great
Do these expressions in the text relate to comparison (1) or comparison (2) from the box above?
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Language Task 3: Did you notice how the writer of the Game Theory report also showed
comparisons by repeating the same structures through the texts? Underline the following
expressions in the text, which are used to make comparisons.
In part 2 of the text: The figure shows.Notice // the table shows..Notice

In part 3 of the text: The first trading period begins on.// while the second trading
period begins on
What effect do you think these repetitive structures has on the reader?
Comparisons are useful in scientific writing because they enable us to create a framework for
understanding particular results, in the context of others. However comparisons can potentially
lead to confusion because they require processing multiple concepts at the same time. One way
to help the read avoid confusion, and to communicate the comparison clearly and precisely, is
to use parallel structures, like the examples above. This means reporting two ideas using the
same or consistent structures.
Remember: you shouldnt be aiming for complexity; you should be aiming for natural clarity
in your writing (and speaking).
Writing Practice: Write a Discussion Section

Below is an experimental investigation of Circumference / Diameter (C/D). With the following
experimental instructions and data provided, work together on the following Steps.
Step 1: Discuss your ideas about the following questions.

(1) How do the calculations and graph (as provided below) support or refute a hypothesis of
the geometry of circles?
(2) What is the average C/D ratio? What does the average C/D ratio imply? What is the
discrepancy? Does it have any impact on the accuracy of the results?
(3) What are the variables in the graph? What does the line suggest, and why? How would
you compare the numerical and graphical results? Are there any suggestions for further
investigation?
Step 2: Write up a Discussion section to analyze the data. The analysis should answer the questions
above. You can use the Structured Writing Guide on the next page to help you, or write your own.
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Experimental investigation
Objective:
In this experiment, you examined a hypothesis about the geometry of circles:
The circumference (C) of a circle is directly proportional to its diameter (D) regardless of the circles size, and
= 3.14159
Materials:
Metric ruler with millimeter resolution
Vernier calipers with 0.05 mm resolution
5 objects with diameters ~1 cm to ~10 cm: (penny coin, tomato soup can, D cell, PVC cylinders)
Procedures:
Five objects were chosen such that measurements of their circumference and diameter could be obtained easily and
would be reproducible. The diameter of each of the 5 objects was measured with either the ruler or caliper. The
circumference and diameter of each object was measured with the same measuring device in case the two
instruments were not calibrated the same. The circumference measurement was obtained by tightly wrapping a small
piece of paper around the object, marking the circumference on the paper with a pencil, and measuring this distance
with the ruler or caliper. The uncertainty specified with each measurement is based on the precision of the measuring
device and the experimenters estimated ability to make a reliable measurement. Results for all five objects are
given in the table below:
Table: The C/R Ratios of all Five Objects
Object
Penny
D cell battery
PVC cylinder A
PVC cylinder B
Tomato soup can
Diameter (cm)
1.90 +/- 0.01
3.30 +/- 0.02
4.23 +/- 0.02
6.04 +/- 0.02
6.06 +/- 0.1
Circumference. (cm)
5.93 +/- 0.03
10.45 +/- 0.05
13.30 +/- 0.03
18.45 +/- 0.05
21.2 +/- 0.1
C/D Ratio
3.12 +/- 0.02
3.17 +/- 0.02
3.14 +/- 0.02
3.06 +/- 0.01
3.21 +/- 0.05
Measuring Device
Vernier caliper, Paper
Plastic ruler, Paper
Plastic ruler, Paper
The precision of the ratio can be estimated using the error propagation formula:
Average C/D = 3.14 +/- 0.03, where 0.03 is the standard error of the 5 values
A graph showing the relationship between the two variables (Diameters and Circumference) is given below:
Figure 1: Circumference vs. Diameter
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Structured Writing Guide gaps can be filled with more than one word, if needed.
Our results ________________________ the hypothesis that ___________________________

regardless of the circles size.
As shown in the Table, the numerical analysis of the circular objects, ranging from 2cm to 7cm, yielded
_____________________________, where 0.03 is ___________________________________ of the 5
values.
This
average
C/D
ratio
is
essentially
constant
and
nearly
equal
to
_____________________________________________. The _______________________ between the

calculated C/D ratio and is so ___________________, thus the difference is deemed as
_____________________________.
According to the Figure, the __________________________ between the circumference and diameter
_________________________________ y = 3.1527x 0.0502, _____________________ R2 = 0.9967
_________________________
-0.05.
With
the
R2
being
close
to
1,
it
roughly
____________________________ that there is ____________________________________.
Both numerical and graphical results are _____________________________ the commonly accepted
geometrical theory which states that the circumference (C) for all circles is directly proportional to its
diameter. ______________________, only a narrow range of circle sizes were analyzed, so
_____________________________ investigation of this C/D relationship over a wider range of circle
sizes should be performed to ______________________ that this ratio is indeed constant for all circles.
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Self-study: Compare your Writing

Read Supplementary Sample 8, which is an integrated Results/Discussion section. It is an
example text to the experiment about the circumference/diameter above.
1. Compare it to your own writing. What are the similarities and differences?
2. Look back at the questions from Task 5 and identify which questions from Task 5 are
answered in this text.
For reference you can find more advice on comparisons here:
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parallel structures https://webapps.towson.edu/ows/moduleparallel.htm

writing comparisons http://scwrl.ubc.ca/student-resources/communicatingscience/using-comparisons-and-descriptions/
example language http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/compare-and-contrast/
Fall 2016-17
8.2. Graphical Data, Equations and Numbers
Task 1: Discuss in your groups:

1. What kind of visuals might be examples of a figure in a research paper?
2. When should we use a table or figure instead of words when presenting the results?
3. Should we put tables and figures in the appendix or in the main body of the text?
Task 2: Below are two standard tips to remember for using tables and figures in your report.
Discuss why they are important - why would each help the reader?
Tip 1: All tables/figures must be numbered, captioned and formatted in a standard way.
Tip 2: All tables/figures must be referred to in the body of the text
Task 3: Below are 10 standard conventions to remember for numbering, captioning and formatting
tables and figures in a standard way. Read the conventions and circle any that you didnt know
already.
Tables
Figures
1. The number and caption is above the

table.
3. Captions should be capitalized and
punctuated like these examples:
2. The number and caption is below the figure.
TABLE V1. Wavelength distribution

TABLE V. Spin-orbit parameters
FIG. 4. Wavelength distribution

FIG. 5. Spin-orbit parameters
4. Captions should be capitalized, punctuated

and abbreviated like these examples:
5. The table numbers use Roman numerals 6. The figure numbers use Arabic numerals
in capitals (I, II, III, IV, V, etc.)
(1,2,3,4,5, etc.)
7. Both table and figure captions should be concise but informative.
8. Both tables and figures should be aligned in the centre of the page, not aligned on the left
or on the right of the page.
9. Both tables and figures should have space above and below them, so that they are clearly
separated from the body of the text.
10. Both tables and figures should be presented as soon as convenient after they are first
referred to in the text.
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Now use the information above to help decide if the presentation of following figures and tables
is appropriate, and discuss why/why not:
Remarks
1.
I-V Curve
0.01
0
I(A)
-1.50E+01 -1.00E+01 -5.00E+00 0.00E+00 5.00E+00
-0.01
VA(V)
Table 1
2.
Fig. 2
Table 3. What is the Relationship between the Weight & Velocity
Weight
Velocity
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2 kg
30 m/s
3 kg
25 m/s
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Task 4: Circle the most appropriate option for each statement below to create useful tips for
referring to tables and figures in the body of the text.
a. A table and figure needs/doesnt need to be referred to in the body of the text.
b. A table or figure should be presented as soon/late/convenient as possible after
reference to it in the body of the text.
c. Figure can/cannot be abbreviated to Fig. in the body of the text.
d. Table can/cannot be abbreviated to Tab. in the body of the text.
e. Tables and figures should/shouldnt be referenced in the body of the text by their
caption title (e.g. As shown in the Wave Distribution table, there is a)
f. Tables and figures should/shouldnt be referenced in the body of the text by
number e.g. As shown in Fig. 1, there is a)
g. Tables and figures should/shouldnt be referenced in the body of the text by their
spatial relationship to the text (e.g. As shown in the figure below, there is a//
The table on page 117 highlights)
h. All observations / Only key observations from a table or figure need to be
referred to in the body of the text.
Task 5: We are going to return to the zombie outbreak report that you started reading earlier in
the course and read extracts of the Results/Discussion section, which includes some discussion
of graphical data. Work in a group of 4 and analyze the texts together. Follow the steps below.
Supplementary Sample 9A and 9B (Results / Discussion)

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Step 1: Read Supplementary Sample 9A.

1. Where in the text can you find examples of (1) statements of findings (2) interpretations of
findings (3) recommendations as a result of the interpretations?
2. Evaluate the use of Figure 10. Is it appropriately presented and referred to in the text?
Step 2: Read Supplementary Sample 9B.

1. What do you think about the way the writer has integrated the maths concepts into
comments about the real application of this maths (i.e. the scenario of the zombie
outbreak)? What effect does this have on the reader?
2. Evaluate the use of Figure 15. Is it appropriately presented and referred to in the text?
3. Evaluate the use of Equation 7. Is it appropriately presented and referred to in the text?
Language Focus (7): Hedging
Language Task 1: Look at the underlined expressions in the zombie texts you have just read. Are
these:
90
strong claims, e.g. showing that the writer is 100% confident, or that the event is 100%
inevitable, etc.?
tentative claims, e.g. less than 100% confident or inevitable?
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Language Task 2: In the table below, compare the expressions on the left to the corresponding
ones on the right. Some of these expressions come some of the texts you read earlier in the course.
Which column below represents strong language, and which represents tentative language?
Circle the changes in the language from the left to the right column.
That was due to
That may have been due to
In fact, is identical
In fact, appears identical
Thus, we know that
Thus, we believe that
can be clearly observed
can be perhaps observed
Our observation is in contrast to
Our observation seems in contrast to
who state that
who suggest that
It is found that
It is possible that
requires further investigation
may warrant further investigation
Our work proves the feasibility of
Our work indicates some feasibility of
Our experiment represents a crucial step Our experiment may represent a crucial step
toward
toward
Based on the above, we can summarize that a variety of language structures, besides just modal
verbs, can be used to make hedges.
Frequently used language in science writing used to make hedges is:
1. non-modal verbs (appear, assume, aim, propose, suggest, indicate, seem, tend, intend)
2. adverbial phrases (arguably, largely, probably, rather, likely)
3. adjectives (apparent, possible, presumed, probable, supposed)
4. modal verbs (could, may, might, can, should)
5. reference to limiting conditions (in some ways, under different parameters)
6. nouns (appearance, indication, likelihood, possibility, suggestion, tendency)
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Language Task 3: The expressions below might be useful for the Results and Discussion section
of a report.
Circle the word or phrase in each, which indicates a level of hedging
Decide which of the six language categories above is used in each example below.
Useful Expressions: Hedging in the Results and Discussion section

We suspect that the source of the error is
From these findings, it now seems possible that
It is generally assumed that
This data indicates that
The model implies that
Thus we propose that
One possible reason is
The data points to the likelihood of
While the model appears appropriate in these settings, we should bear in mind that
The results obtained suggest good agreement with
Viewed with this model, it is apparent that
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Language Task 4: Below are some student-written examples. Select the most appropriate
language to communicate the facts/claims accurately.
1. Experimental results indicate that / We proved that the amplitude of the reflected
waves attenuate because energy is lost at the boundary in the imperfect LC circuit and
transmission line.
2. In standing waves, multiple frequency nulls are found. This suggests that / This means
that standing waves resonate with the transmission line.
3. The theory behind this phenomenon is still under debate, but a common explanation is
that / the explanation is that the sudden collapse in size of the bubble would cause the
surrounding water to have high pressure and temperature.
4. We observed that / We think that light intensity at the beginning is usually higher than
that towards the end.
Sometimes our claims/statements may be based on strong evidence, and sometimes our
claims/statements may be tentative depending on how strongly the evidence seems to support
them. Its important to accurately convey the strength or weakness or our
claims/suggestions/evidence, based on the findings and understanding that we have. A common
problem observed in student reports is that the strength of claims is exaggerated, i.e. the language
is too strong. This gives the impression that the student is certain about something, but in fact,
the evidence does not fully support such a strong/certain claim. Students should remember that
exaggerating the strength of our claims does not make our report better; it makes our report
inaccurate.
Hedging in science is generally used to enable the writer to make accurate claims, i.e. claims
which are accurately supported by the evidence, and claims which accurately report the level
of confidence that the writer has about the claim. Why is this important?
the purpose of research is to further our understanding of the world, not to mislead
people.
the writers reputation as a scientist is in part dependent on their ability to accurately
communicate their observations and subsequent interpretations. For this reason,
exaggerating the strength of evidence supporting a claim can seriously damage their
reputation as a scientist.
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Self-study: Units, Digits and Symbols
There are different conventions of writing numbers. Read the table below for some general
guidelines followed by most technical writers.
Digits are often used:
for any measurement or data: 2.5 L
for any number 10 or greater: 14 boilers
for any number less than 10 with units: 8
m/sec
for any number less than 1.0: 0.375
when the numerical value of a quantity is
important: 6 failures
with a comma separating every three digits
except in numbers after a decimal: 3,968,
0.32147
Words are sometimes used:

for approximations: e.g. less than twenty
milliliters
for any number less than 10 without units
at the beginning of a sentence
Symbols may have an alphabetic basis (e.g., mm, kV, g, qt, ft) or a non-alphabetic basis (e.g., %,
$, , ). Generally, neither type of symbol should be used without an accompanying numeral.
Rules differ for separating numerals from alphabetic and non-alphabetic symbols. Read the table
below for some general guidelines.
Alphabetic symbols
Separate a number from a following
alphabetic symbol with a single space: the
overall length of 130 mm
For dimensions, use a multiplication symbol
(not a small letter x) or the word by to
separate the measurements: 10 55 5
mm, 10 by 55 by 5 mm
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Non-alphabetic symbols
Close up a number and a non-alphabetic
symbol, whether the symbol precedes or
follows the number (except if the symbol
is being used as a mathematical
operator): =3 mm, 44%, 5 but P < 0.001
As for degrees Celsius, separate the nonalphabetic symbol from the number by a
space: 12 C
Fall 2016-17
Read the extract below, taken from the Results section of a student-written report. Use the
information above and from the rest of the lesson to:
1. Identify the different types of information in the text, and how this information is
organized.
2. Evaluate whether the units and digits are appropriately presented, based on the information
in the boxes above.
3. Evaluate whether the references to the numbered equations is appropriate.
Student Sample Results Section: Ray Optics
Type of information
According to the Fig. 1 on page 3, it indicates that 1/d i + 1/d

o yielded proportional coefficients of 0.994+/-0.004 and 1.030+/-0.009. They differed from the expected value, -1, by
0.6% and 3% respectively. Based on the values of intercepts,
f1 = 46+/-0.2mm was different from the given value by 3.5%,
while f2 = 126.1+/-0.3mm was distinct from the labeled
value by 0.71%. This merely verifies the equation (1). In the
microscope part as shown in Fig. 2, it is observed that the
image formed by the compound microscope was inversely
proportional to the focal length of the eyepiece and the
objects distance from objective (where d o > f1). This is
consistent with equation (3).
For reference you can find more advice on using hedging here:
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Advice and examples http://www.uefap.com/writing/feature/hedge.htm

Examples and practice http://aeo.sllf.qmul.ac.uk/Files/Hedging/Hedging.html
You can also use wordneighbors.ust.hk to look up further examples of hedging words
or other vocab in natural context. This will help you discover how to use these words
accurately, appropriately and naturally, and see common patterns in the language. With
this online tool, you can restrict your search to scientific texts only, in order to see only
science examples. Keep notes of useful expressions you find, that youd like to use in
your own writing.
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Unit 9 - Concluding your Project
By the end of this unit, you will be able to:
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be able to evaluate the effectiveness of Conclusions from presentations and written

reports
understand how a Conclusion connects to all the other sections of a report
be able to use logical deductions to make accurate Conclusions
be able to communicate the significance of your project with precise language
be able to write a coherent Conclusion in academic style
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9.1. Communicating Purpose
Task 1: We are going to watch a TED Talk by a mathematician talking about his basketball
research project. What kind of maths do you think would be relevant to basketball?
Task 2: Use the task box below while you are watching to take notes. Pause the video at each
section to discuss your ideas.
TED Talk: The Math behind Basketballs wildest moves

Speaker: Rajiv Maheswaran
Source:
http://www.ted.com/talks/rajiv_maheswaran_the_math_behind_basketball_s_wildest_moves/transcript?language=en
(0:00-2:20) Introduction
Qu.1: Where did he get his initial idea for the research project?
Qu.2: What was the overall outcome of the project?
(2:20-7:40) Methodology
(7:40-9:20) Results and Discussion
(11:00-12:00) Conclusion
Qu.3: Do you think the Conclusion is effective?
Qu.4: What question has he tried to answer in this Conclusion section?
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Task 3: Think about the Conclusions you have seen in this TED Talk and other presentations.
What makes an effective Conclusion in a presentation for the audience?
Task 4: What about a written report? What kind of information do you think a reader would want
to find in a Conclusion for a research report?
Task 5: Consider whether you agree (A) or disagree (D) with the following:
1. The Conclusion should be short and concise because it briefly reiterates the significance of
the research problem and information from the Discussion section.
2. A long Conclusion section makes the research problem investigated by the author/s seem
more important.
3. A short Conclusion section suggests that the research was rather insignificant and has little
relevance to future studies.
4. The Conclusion is intended to prove a hypothesis
5. The Conclusion could disagree with previous research.
Task 6: Scientific reports should inform, interest and inspire the reader. If your reader is confused,
bored or uninspired after reading your Conclusion, they may not be left with a meaningful lasting
impression from your research. Consider how the characteristics below would be helpful for
Conclusions which inform, interest and inspire:
Characteristics of good Conclusions in reports:
1. The reader can get a reasonable understanding of the main findings of the project, even if
they havent read the rest of the report.
2. The reader can focus on the key points easily. The reader is not distracted by unnecessary
details, minor findings, or vacuous statements.
3. The reader can get a reasonable understanding of how the experiment could be improved
in the future, even if they havent read the rest of the report.
4. The reader can understand why this project is significant to the field or furthers our
scientific understanding in the field.
5. The reader can trust your Conclusion. The reader is not misled by idle speculation, or by
exaggerated or unsupported claims.
6. The Conclusion is written for a broad audience, not a specialist audience.
7. The Conclusion should be the starting point of a future project, not just the end of a current
project.
Which of the above do you think you and your classmates might find most difficult?
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Language Focus (8): Highlighting Significance
Language Task 1 Read the following pairs of statements for including in a report Conclusion.
Which sentence in each pair do you prefer? Why?
1a. Our model sheds light on how this challenge might be approached in the future.
1b. Our model will transform this field of maths.
2a. This study contributes further evidence to support Bolts theory.
2b. This study unequivocally proves the validity of Bolts theory.
3a. The findings of this study challenge the validity of Bolts theory.
3b. The findings of this study show that Bolts theory was wrong.
4a. Our findings are very useful to everyone.
4b. Our findings may further the development of theories in macro-economics.
Language Task 2: The table below contains language for verb-phrases commonly used to
communicate the significance of a project or project outcome.
Create verb phrases by matching the verbs on the left with the end-of-phrase language on the right.
There are multiple possible matches for many of the verbs.
Remember: focus on matches which are natural collocations and meaningful to use to talk about
the significance of a project not just matches which are grammatically correct.
For example reveal the validity of is grammatically correct, but its not a natural collocation.
verb
end-of-phrase language
1. transform
2. question
3. reveal
4. challenge
5. contribute
6. further
7. shed
8. highlight
9. confirm
10. raise
11. advance
(a) the field of

(b) the development of
(c) the validity of
(d) our understanding of
(e) further evidence to
(f) light on
(g) questions about
(h) gaps in our understanding
(i) the significance of
(j) a hypothesis
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Language Task 3: Recall the basketball TED Talk that you watched earlier in this unit, in which
the team designed a model that could analyze the moves of a basketball game better than a coach.
1. Discuss the project in a group of 3.
What was the overall outcome of the project?

Who do you think might the outcome of this project affect?
How do you think it might affect them?
What do you think this might help or change in the future?
2. In pairs, write one sentence to outline the possible significance of this project. You might want
to use some of the language in the box above. Remember to use appropriate hedging if your ideas
are not 100% certain or you are not 100% confident with your statement.
Writing Practice: Report a Conclusion

In a group of 3, write a Conclusion paragraph for this TED Talk. Remember to highlight the
possible significance of the project.
Keep a copy/photo of your writing, to come back to later.
Self-study: Analyze Conclusions

Find 2 research articles relevant to your project topic, and analyze the Conclusion section.
Are the conclusions easy to follow?

What questions have been answered for the reader?
How has the information stated in these conclusions helped you to design your own
project?
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9.2. Logical Ideas and Flow
Task 1: Think about how the words in the box below relate to Conclusions.
take-away message
evaluating
summarizes
brief
tie up
linking back
should lead
Then complete the following summary about Conclusions:
The Conclusion is only (1) ________________________ (maybe one paragraph) but it should (2)
_____________________ the project, which means (3) ____________________ to all the other
sections of the report, (4)_____________________ whether the objective has been achieved, and
using this to generate a (5)_______________________ for the reader which
(6)_______________________
what
you
have
achieved,
and
where
this
(7)___________________________future scientists work in the future.
Task 2: A major function of the Conclusion is to tie the report together, by linking back to the
other sections. Discuss together:
1. In what way might a Conclusion link back to the Introduction section?
e.g. the Introduction highlights the objective of the project and the Conclusion should
state whether/how the objective has been achieved.
2. In what way might a Conclusion link back to the Theory section?
3. In what way might a Conclusion link back to the Methodology/Methods?
4. In what way might a Conclusion link back to the Results/Discussion?
Task 3: Read the two student-written Conclusions below. They have been divided into numbered
sections.
1. What are the functions of each numbered section?
2. Which Conclusion do you prefer? Why?
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Conclusion A
Conclusion B
(1) The Duffing Equation shows different behavior

and motion depending on the signs and values of the
five parameters. If B = O, the equation describes a
simple harmonic oscillator. By varying the stiffness
factor, the dynamical system can describe a single
well or double well oscillators. The duffings system
is always periodic when there is neither damping nor
external forces. However, period doubling route to
chaos are found to occur due to the amplitudemodulated force with the presence of damping.
Strange attractors and periodic windows are also
found to occur due to the applied forces. (2) The
variety of behavior makes duffing system a good
model to many physical problems.
(1) In this paper, different numerical

methods were used to predict the
populations of species in a ecosystem. (2)
In the system, we assumed all the
parameters to be constant. However, in
reality, the relation between species or
external factors depending on the
population of a particular species may not
be constants. (3) Subsequent studies may
consider that if the parameters could be
replaced by different functions, the
prediction for the system could be more
accurate.
Adapted from HKUST student-written Capstone report (2015)

Adapted from HKUST student-written Capstone report (2015)
Task 4: In order to link back to the other sections of the report - and tie the report together - a
Conclusion tends to answer the following questions:
1. What was the main outcome of the project?
2. Why is this significant/useful?
3. What were the limitations of the study?
4. What future research is suggested?
Which of these questions can you already answer about your own project?
What other questions might you answer in the Conclusion of your own project?
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Task 5: Read three more Conclusions below, which are divided into numbered sections.
1. Identify which question above is answered in each numbered section.
2. What do these three Conclusions all have in common, in terms of their organizational
structure?
Conclusions from HKUST student-written Capstone reports (2015)
Function or
Type of information
Conclusion C
(1) The properties and chaotic nature of the Henon map was illustrated by
computational methods in different aspects such as the stability of a fixed
point, existence of strange attractor for given parameters and the period
doubling bifurcation. (2) However in this paper we only studied the
properties for a small range of parameters a and b. (3) It may be worthwhile
to plot an a-b graph to indicate how the map will behave with different
values of parameters.
Conclusion D
(1) The Lotka Volterra equation is a powerful equation which can predict
the population of food chain in ecosystem. (2) In a three dimensional case,
when the population of super predator Z a31 is equal to 2, the ecosystem
converges to 1 and the behavior stops. However, when a31 changes from 1.06 to -2, the behavior of predator and prey changes from simple periodic
to periodic doubling, and then occurs an attractor. As a result, it turns to
chaos and the population of three species converges to 1. This implies the
food chain would stop. (3) The bifurcation diagram, hopf diagram are
needed for analysis of chaos of the three species in competition. However,
this paper focussed only on the general form of Lotka Volterra. (4) Hopf
bifurcation will be used in the next stage of research.
Conclusion E
(1) This paper explained different diagrams in order to better understand
the forced doffing oscillator. The weak signal detection and the watertreeing detection were done by observing the dramatic changes of the
system states the around critical state. (2) However, certain limitations
arose for both applications: the value of the external signal and current
input. (3) Further studies should be done on both applications for addressing
these limitations.
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Task 6: In the Conclusions above, underline any useful expressions that you want to remember,
which help to indicate which question is being answered.
Task 7: Below are common problems with writing Conclusions to research reports.
Which do you think you might find most difficult?
Common problems with writing Conclusions:
1. Omitting a statement about the general project area or overall outcome of the project.
Remember that the reader may read this section before the rest of the report, so
one sentence to summarize the whole project is helpful.
2. Writing in too much detail, i.e. not being able to distinguish the key findings from the
minor findings. Remember that a Conclusion should only include key findings, not
all findings.
3. Omitting limitations and subsequent suggestions for improvements/future research.
Remember that a Conclusion should be the starting point for a future project, not
just the ending point of a current project.
4. Unreliable statements, e.g. exaggerating the importance of minor findings, underplaying
sources of errors, exaggerating the strength of evidence behind claims. Remember that
the scientific accuracy of your claims is of utmost importance.
5. Presenting ideas that are not logically supported by the evidence. Remember that a
Conclusion is a logical summary of the project and a logical plan for future
research.
Task 8: As you know, a Conclusion should be logical i.e.
it should present Conclusions that are logically deduced from the evidence
it should present suggestions for future research that would logically follow this study
One common problem with Conclusions is to overlook the logic and fall into the fallacy trap. This
can lead to drawing unhelpful Conclusions or drawing Conclusions that do not accurately represent
reality.
What is the problem with the logic of the following sentences?
1. We can conclude that the economic recession has now ended because we have seen
unemployment rates have decreased.
2. The results demonstrate a correlation with this strategy, so this strategy is the best and
should be recommended to all companies to improve their sales.
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3. The plan proposed by the Marketing department will not be possible to implement
because it is unworkable.
Task 9: Three common fallacies relating to the logic of an argument are given below. Match
them to the details in the box below.
a) Sweeping generalization
b) Circular argument
c) Weak deduction
Fallacy type
Details
There is insufficient evidence to draw the conclusion that has been made.
A conclusion logically drawn from one case, has been applied to cases for
which this conclusion may be unjustified.
The argument goes round and round, instead of finding logical steps forward
in the argument
Which of these 3 fallacies are exemplified in the 3 statements in Task 8?
Language Focus (9): Old-to-New Principle

Language Task 1: The reader might sometimes read a Conclusion before reading the other
sections of the report. Discuss together:
1. Why might they do this?
2. What problems might this cause for the reader?
Language Task 2: Because the Conclusion might be read by someone without full knowledge of
the details of the rest of the report, it is important to ensure that the Conclusion is especially clear
and coherent.
One way to help the reader follow the ideas of a text is to create a chain of ideas in which sentences
begin by first giving the reader information old information that the reader already knows. Then,
introduce the new information at the end of the sentence.
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Look at the example in the box below. Notice how the first sentence ends with new
information, and then this becomes old information at the start of the second sentence.
The first approach is to focus on the retention time and select transitions with large
retention time variation. By adjusting for global retention time variation, it provides
more robust detections of problematic transitions with mis-identified peaks.
Read the following conclusion section for a paper about data pre-processing for label-free
Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) experiments, and focus on the bolded expressions.
How is the old information linked to the new information?
Conclusion
Title: Data Pre-Processing for Label-Free Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) Experiments
Source: Chung, L.M., Colangelo, C.M., & H.Zhao. Data Pre-Processing for Label-Free Multiple
Reaction
Monitoring
(MRM)
Experiments.
Biology 2014, 3(2),
383-402;
doi:10.3390/biology3020383. Available from: http://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/3/2/383/htm
In this paper, we have discussed pre-processing approaches for label-free MRM data sets. We
considered the assessments of transition and sample quality and data normalization. For
quality assessment, we suggest to examine the consistency of retention time and peak area
across all the samples in the experiment. The first approach is to focus on the retention time and
select transitions with large retention time variation. By adjusting for global retention time
variation, it provides more robust detections of problematic transitions with mis-identified
peaks. The second approach aims to evaluate inconsistent MRM peaks by decomposing the
peak area with transition effect and sample-specific variation. Robust linear regression evaluates
weights for individual peak which can be used as evidence for outlying quantitation. By
summarizing the weights at the transition- or sample-level, one may be able to identify
inconsistent transition or problematic MRM samples. The distinctive feature of this quality
assessment tool lies in its data-driven nature. We note that other methods have been proposed
for quality assessment, such as to utilize spectral library intensity (Skyline), peak intensities from
heavy labeled transitions (AuDIT), or peak characteristics from decoy transitions (mProphet).
These methods require specific assay development or MS/MS peak monitoring scheme. In
contrast, we believe that our pipeline is advantageous in that it does not require extra information
and borrows information across samples. Our approaches model retention time or peak area
across all the samples processed together in a label-free MRM experiment, and are more
generally applicable. This pipeline can be used along with the Skylines label-free function or
independently for the MRM data quantified by other approaches.
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Review: Through this course, you have read various sections of the zombie outbreak report.
Finally, we come to the Conclusion of that report!
Step 1: Use what we have covered in this unit about coherence and old-to-new principle to help
you to put the sentences into order, to make a coherent Conclusion.
Step 2: Then read the completed Conclusion that you have constructed and evaluate:
1. What helped you to put the sentences into order?
2. Does this Conclusion include the type of content and structure that we have studied in this
unit?
3. What do you like about this Conclusion or the way that it is written?
Supplementary Sample 10 (Conclusion)

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Self-study: Coherence Through a Report
Read the full zombie outbreak article online. You have read extracts from each section already in
this course:
http://opus.govst.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1046&context=theses.
While reading the whole article:
1. Can you find more examples of old-to-new principle, which help the ideas flow together
well?
2. What else - about the writing style - helps the ideas flow together well?
Then find another article relevant to your own project. Read the full article and consider:
1. Do the ideas flow together well? Why/why not?
2. What else do you like about the style of writing in this article?
For reference you can find more practice on old-to-new principle here:
http://www.uefap.com/writing/parag/par_flow.htm
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Unit 10 - Tying your Project Together
109
be able to organize an Abstract

be aware of strategies to improve cohesion
be able to follow the gist of a complex talk
understand when to nominalize and denominalize appropriately
be able to analyze a report for a variety of academic language structures
Fall 2016-17
10.1. Academic Writing Structures
Writing Practice: Draw Conclusions
Step 1: Look at the table below. These are the key findings from some research into the language
used in maths papers. The usage of four particular language structures was analyzed in a number
of different maths papers, comparing the use of these structures in different sections of the
report. Work in a group of 3 and discuss together:
1. What conclusions can you draw from this information?
2. Are you surprised by any of their findings?
3. Why do you think this study was conducted?
4. What impact do you think this study could this study have?
5. Where do you think this research might lead to in the future?
Wesubject pattern
We report a reduction.
Anticipatory itpatterns
It is likely that..
It is important to
remember
Inanimate subject
patterns
Passive patterns
Molecular analysis of DNA

showed.
The lack of consistency
supports
Value investment has been

consistently reported to be.
Introductions
19.02%
3.93%
7.87%
69.18%
Methods
0.82%
0.00%
0.10%
99.08%
Results
13.10%
1.75%
4.80%
80.35%
Discussions
15.83%
9.91%
22.26%
52.00%
Carmen Prez-Llantada, 2011. Constructing the Ideal Readership: Heteroglossic (Dis) Engagement in Research Writing Practices across Cultures
In V. Bhatia, P. Snchez & P. Prez-Paredes (Eds), Researching Specialised Languages, pp. 25-45. Amsterdam: John Benjamins
Step 2: Write a conclusion paragraph with your group, summarizing your groups ideas from the
above discussion. Remember to the ideas that we have covered through the course about academic
writing features, to ensure that your paragraph is written in appropriate academic style.
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Step 3: Read the paragraphs of your classmates and analyze them for the four language features
in the table above. Do you think these structures have been used appropriately?
Language Focus (10): Nominalization and Denominalization
Language Task 1: As we have seen in earlier units, in academic writing you are encouraged to be
concise and precise in your communication. Nominalization can sometimes help to achieve both
conciseness and preciseness in your writing.
Look at two versions of the student-written extract below.
Which version do you prefer? Why?

How has the underlined language changed from version 1 to version 2?
Version 1
Version 2
We experience everyday life in a way that does Our experience of everyday life today does not
not seem to prepare us to grasp that the universe seem to prepare us to grasp the vastness of the
is so vast. We all have a vague idea of how universe. We all have a vague idea of its
immense it is just from how the dark space is immensity just from the ever-expanding dark
ever-expanding and faraway stars. But how big space and faraway stars. But how big is it
is it actually? How far does the horizon go on?
actually? How far does the horizon go on?
Language Task 2: Nominalization can often involve expanding on a simple noun, to create a long
string of nouns which function as one subject (or object). Look at the example below:
Hydrogen
Hydrogen isotopes
The supply of hydrogen isotopes
The supply of hydrogen isotopes from the comets
The supply of hydrogen isotopes from the comets to our earth
The supply of hydrogen isotopes from the comets compared with other cosmological source of the same
element to our earth
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All of the above examples are still just one noun phrase. Each phrase would function as a single subject
or object in the sentence, even though each phrase has many words in it.
Now read the full version of the student-written text below. The underlined expressions are long
noun strings, which act either as subjects or objects of the sentence. Find the main verb which
relates to each of these noun strings.

Our experience of everyday life today does not seem to prepare us to grasp the vastness of the
universe. We all have a vague idea of its immensity just from the ever-expanding dark space
and faraway stars. But how big is it actually? How far does the horizon go on? To help us
better answer these questions, lets turn to something significantly smaller (in universal scale)
and more familiar: the Earth. Somewhere in the universe is the Earth. It is the third planet
from the center of our solar system, the Sun. As big as the scale may sound already, our sun is
merely one of the billions of stars in a spiral galaxy called the Milky Way. But where in the
cosmic universe is the Milky Way? According to a recent discovery by a group of scientists,
the Milky Way is part of a much bigger system of galaxies known as a super cluster that they
have named Laniakea. The Milky Way is nested in the furthest reach of the structure among
other 8000 galaxies forming the super cluster. How many of these seemingly endless super
clusters are there? We dont know yet. There could be an infinite number of super clusters out
there, or even a bigger body containing thousands of superclusters.
What do you notice about the density of nouns compared to the density of verbs in the text?
Language Task 3: Read the Abstract below. Underline all the long strings of nouns that you find,
which act as subjects or objects of main verbs. Identify the main verbs which they relate to.

Title: Shortest Vectors in Principal Ideals of CM Number Fields
Source: Jacob McNamara
.
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Language Task 4: Nominalization involves using the noun form of a verb, adjective, or adverb.
This noun can then be extended into a long noun string if required, like we have seen in the
examples above.
Like the examples above, sometimes a sentence can be made more concise and clear through
nominalization, by the following four-step process:
1.
2.
3.
4.
identify a key verb, adjective or adverb that needs to be emphasized

convert this into a noun
move this noun earlier in the sentence
rearrange the rest of the sentence to make sense.
Example
Original:
Nominalized:
There is no expectation that these problems will be solved in the near future.
The solution to these problems is not expected in the near future. [more clear/concise]
Look at the sentences below, and follow the four-step process above. The key verb has been
identified and underlined for you.
1. It was intended that they would identify the factors which affected the growth rate.
2. It is difficult for anyone to explain why there was such a reaction.
3. The researchers proved that a particle, which previously had only been theorized, does
exist.
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Language Task 5: The subject of a sentence is not always the theme. Have a look at the example
below.
Example: The scholars agree that the impact of mathematics in computer science is a wellknown fact.
Some students may assume that the scholars is the theme of the sentences as this is the subject
of the sentence in terms of grammar. They may not realize that the theme or the key message is,
in fact, the agreement among the scholars.
To avoid such misunderstanding, you could use the structure of nominalizations.
Revise each of the sentences below by using the structure of nominalizations. Follow the
example above:
1. The researchers discovered a new dimension of mathematics, which is also to a great
extent influenced by applications.
2. Bandeira de Mello (2002, 2003) developed a procedure to create a scale for comparing
mathematics and reading achievement standards in different states by statistically linking
them to NAEP, and this makes a great contribution to the study of test-based educational
accountability.
3. The studies reviewed so far failed to explain why there was rapid development of theory
of equations in the post Second World War era, which is one of the focuses of the present
study.
4. The research intended to identify the factors which had facilitated the diversity of
mathematics, but unfortunately very little was achieved.
5. It is difficult to explain why there was such a change in statistical methods and standards,
and this is one of the objectives of the present study.
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Language Task 6: Nominalizations, however, should be used with caution. The purpose is to
make writing more clear and potentially more concise. Therefore we should be careful to use noun
phrases which emphasize the key ideas clearly, rather than just nominalizing words without need,
or creating text which is more complex (less clear) than the original.
Sometimes we might want to denominalize, if it makes the sentence clearer, e.g.
Original
Revised
Our intention is to investigate the issue.

We intend to investigate the issue.
Sometimes we might want to denominalize, if it makes the sentence more concise, e.g.
Original
Revised
Some applications of mathematics of policy remain within pure mathematics.

Some mathematics of policy are applied within pure mathematics.
Denominalize the following sentences:

1. The discussion concerned the generalization of the inverse square law that is well known
in mathematics and physics, where the behavior of forces is described as electrical
charge.
2. The present researcher has no expectation that the problems will be solved in the near
future.
3. We conducted an investigation of it.
4. There was considerable confusion of the applications of mathematics from the example.
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Language Task 7: To nominalize or not nominalize?

As you have seen, it is not always correct to use nominalizations.
Discuss which statement below you would prefer:
1) The researcher conducted an investigation of the equilibrium

cases in which the repelling force between any pair of particles is
inversely proportional to the distance between them raised to a
power.
2) The researcher investigated the equilibrium cases in which the
repelling force between any pair of particles is inversely proportional
to the distance between them raised to a power.
Language Task 8: Now go back to the paragraph you wrote earlier in the lesson. Are there any
places that should be nominalized? Or denominalized? Edit and improve your paragraph.
Self-study: Language Analysis
Find two more articles relevant to your project.

1. Analyze each section for the four grammar structures highlighted in the table presented at
the start of Unit 10.1. Do your articles use these four grammar structures in a similar way?
2. Does your article have a lot of long noun phrases or not?
3. Do you think the writer has used a lot of nominalization or not?
For reference you can find more advice on using nominalization here:
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Examples and practice

http://aeo.sllf.qmul.ac.uk/Files/Nominalization/Nom%20LOC.html
Examples and practice
http://webapp.ln.edu.hk/ceal/elss/sites/default/files/exercise/cate/writing/Academic%20
Style%20and%20Tone_Nominalisation/index.htm
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10.2. Writing an Abstract
Task 1: What is the purpose of an Abstract for the reader?
Task 2: From Unit 3, and from the articles you have read at home, can you remember the 5 types
of information usually found in an Abstract? Complete the column on the left below:
Type of information
1. background info
Useful tenses
2.
3.
4.
5.
Task 3: What tenses do you think are sensible to use for each of the above parts of the Abstract?
Complete the column on the right above.
Task 4: Compare the two versions of an Abstract below.

1. What has changed?
2. Which version do you think is better? Why?
3. Does this Abstract include all the information from Task 2?
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Abstract from HKUST student-written Capstone report (2015)

Abstract 1: Version A
Abstract 1: Version B
(a) In this paper, we show that the doubling
map is chaotic which means it is sensitive to
initial conditions, topological transitive and
has dense periodic orbits in the analytical
part. (b) In the numerical part, several tools
are used to verify the results and gain a better
understanding of the concept of chaos. (c)
Through numerical investigations, we see
that the fractal properties and the computed
correlation dimension d is 2.0199 in the
bifurcation diagram.
(a) In this paper, we show that the doubling map

is chaotic. It is sensitive to initial conditions,
topological transitive. There are dense periodic
orbits in the analytical part. (b) Several tools are
used to verify the results and gain a better
understanding of the concept of chaos in the
numerical part. (c) We see that the fractal
properties and the computed correlation
dimension d is 2.0199 in the bifurcation diagram
through numerical investigations.
Task 5: Evaluate the Abstract below.

1. Do you think it contains all the appropriate information from Task 2?
2. Is it well organized?
3. Do the ideas flow together well, so that it is easier for the reader to follow?
Abstract from HKUST student-written Capstone report (2015)
Comments
(a) This paper studies the behavior of free brusselator model in

both constant inputs and periodically-changed inputs of a
chemical reaction. (b) One fixed point can be solved from the
system of differential equations under constant inputs
assumption. (c) Using a numerical method called fourth order
Runge-Kutta method, solutions are visualized and show that the
stable fixed becomes unstable and undergoes a Hopf bifurcation
in this assumption. (d) The differential equations are also
modified by adding a cosine function to represent a situation that
one of the chemical inputs is periodically changed in value in the
system. (e) In the case where the solution converges to an
attractor with unpredictable sequence of trajectories, a sensitivity
to initial conditions is shown in the paper.
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Task 6: We are going to watch a TED Talk by a mathematician talking about his music-related
maths project. Later you will write an Abstract of this talk.
Task 7: Use the task box below to follow the TED Talk. Pause the video at each section to
review. Dont worry if you dont understand all the ideas in the talk; just try to follow the gist.
TED Talk: The Beautiful Math behind the Worlds Ugliest Music
Speaker: Scott Rickard
Source: http://www.ted.com/talks/scott_rickard_the_beautiful_math_behind_the_ugliest_music
0:00-0:30 - What makes a piece of music beautiful?
0:30-0:50 - What question did he want to answer in his project?
Pause after each section below. Read each section summary. Then watch the section and circle the correct
option.
0:50-2:45 section summary
Historical research about sonar pings (for use on ships / planes) was the basis of the maths that was relied on in
this project. This had been carried out by a mathematician called John Costas. However that research
encountered difficulties because Costas couldnt work out how to construct pattern-free structures for
particularly large / small structures.
2:45-3:15 - section summary
To help solve this problem, Costas contacted Solomon Golomb, another musician / mathematician. Golomb
realized that nobody had tried to think of such a pattern-free structure before.
3:154:25 section summary
Golomb was / wasnt aware of Evariste Galoires research on prime numbers, and theorized that prime number
theory would be the key to solving the problem of how to create large pattern-free structures.
Having been informed of Galoires prime number theory, John Costas was able to solve his problem: creating
large pattern-free structures for his music / sonar pings.
The pattern-free structures that John Costas developed are called Costas Arrays and they have now been used
in the speakers current project to create pattern-free music. The speaker has used an 88x88 Costas Array,
because there are 88 notes on a piano. In short, the speaker has solved his problem and created pattern-free /
highly patterned music.
Aside from drawing on these Costas Arrays, the speaker also acknowledged the work of Shoenberg, a composer
who had unsuccessfully / successfully explored the possibility of creating pattern-free music in the 1930s,
before Costas solved the problem.
6:35-7:40
Discuss: What was the final outcome of his project? How effective do you think the end of his talk is?
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Language Focus (11): Cohesion

Consolidate your understanding of part of the talk, by reading the summary below.
Discuss together: what do the words in bold refer to?
Historical research about sonar pings for use on ships was the
basis of the maths that was relied on in this project. This had
been carried out by a mathematician called John Costas.
However, it encountered difficulties because Costas couldnt
work out how to construct pattern-free structures for particularly
large structures. Consequently to help solve this problem,
Costas contacted Solomon Golomb, another mathematician.
Then Golomb realized that nobody had tried to think of such a
structure before. However, he was aware of Evariste Galoires
research on prime numbers, and in addition he theorized that
such ideas would be the key to solving the problem. Next,
having been informed of Galoires prime number theory, John
Costas was then able to progress with his research: creating large
pattern-free structures for his sonar pings. These are called
Costas Arrays and have now been used in the speakers current
project to create pattern-free music. So the speaker has used an
88x88 Costas Array, because there are 88 notes on a piano. And
aside from relying on these Costas Arrays, the speaker also
acknowledged the work of Shoenberg, a composer who had
unsuccessfully explored the possibility of creating pattern-free
music in the 1930s, before Costas solved the problem. Thus,
drawing on the aforementioned literature in field, the speaker
has solved his problem and created pattern-free music.
Delete any linking words in the text above that you think are unnecessary.
Writing Practice: Write an Abstract

You are going to write the Abstract of the TED Talk we have just watched.
1. Make notes on the relevant key points to include in an Abstract from Task 2.
2. Then write up the Abstract. Remember to ensure that your ideas flow together well, using
some of the ideas about cohesion that we have covered in this unit.
Keep a copy/photo of your writing, to come back to later.
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Self-study: Evaluate Abstracts

Look at the research project topics below, and read the Abstracts to the articles.
1. Do they cover similar types of information as the Abstracts we have read in this unit?
2. Do the ideas flow well together?
3. Which Abstract is easiest to follow? Why?
Abstracts
Notes
1. Characterizing Outerplanar and xMonotone Thrackles under the direction of

Aaron Potechin
2. Shortest Vectors in Principal Ideals of CM
Number Fields
3. Random Error Models in Quantum Error

Correction
4. Forbidden Patterns in 0-1 Matrices
5. The Hit Problem over the Steenrod Algebra
6. On Successive Quotients of Lower Central

Series Ideals for Finitely Generated Algebras
For reference - you can find more information about Abstracts here:
http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-types-of-writing/abstract
For reference you can find more practice on cohesion here:
Demonstratives: http://icosa.hkbu.edu.hk/grammar/adjectives/referencing-demonstratives/index.htm
Transitions: https://depts.washington.edu/owrc/Handouts/Using%20Transitions%20Effectively.pdf
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Unit 11 - Presentations: Using Language Effectively
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be aware of the use of metaphor and analogy in scientific communication for abstract
concepts
be aware of the stages of planning a presentation
understand key differences between presentation-style language and academic writtenstyle language
be aware of a range of online resources to develop features of engaging language
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11.1. Engaging your Audience
Task 1: Which TED Talk or student talk - that you have watched so far on this course - do you
think was most engaging for you as an audience member? Why was it engaging?
Task 2: Think about either the last presentation you gave or a presentation you will need to give
in the future. Which of the following do you think you considered / might consider while
planning and preparing your presentation?
Strategies to analyze your audience when preparing the presentation

1. Determine what the audience might already know about the topic.
2. Determine what they might not know about the topic.
3. Determine what they are capable of learning in the time you have for your
presentation and what they will not be capable of learning. Remember: people
get overwhelmed if there is too much information.
4. Decide how to link the ideas they already know, to the new ideas you want
them to know.
5. Decide which ideas your audience might struggle with and think of engaging
ways to communicate these ideas to this audience. Remember: people will not
engage if they dont understand.
6. Think of one take-away message that you want them to remember. Plan how to
make this message noticeable and memorable. Remember: people have short
attention spans and short retention spans.
7. Think about how your audience might react during different stages of your
presentation and how you want them to react. Plan how create the reaction
you want. Remember: the measure of a successful presentation is audience
reaction.
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Task 3: Some concepts in science and maths are often communicated to a non-expert audience
by using metaphor or analogy, e.g. a brain works like a computer; the selfish gene.
1. Can you think of any other examples in your field?
2. Discuss why the use of metaphor or analogy could be beneficial for explaining certain
concepts.
3. What problems might arise when metaphor or analogy are used like this?
Task 4: Six Step Planning Guide

Go to the back of the book and find the Six Step Presentation Planning Guide. This is a guide for
planning and organizing your presentation. Sit in a group of 3 and take a look through the six steps
together.
1. Which of these steps do you think are sensible for you to follow, to help plan your
upcoming assessed presentation?
2. Which of these steps are you confident to do for your project presentation already?
3. Which do you need to think more carefully about?
Task 5: Read the two student-written texts below. Both are on the topic of waves. Discuss the
questions below:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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Which text do you prefer? Why?

Who might be the audience for each text? How do you know?
What are the main differences in the way the writers have chosen to write their texts?
What effect do the differences have on the audience?
Which text includes an analogy? How effective do you think the analogy is?
Which would you prefer to listen to in a talk, if you were an audience member? Why?
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Text 1
Text 2
Title: What is a Wave?

Source: student-written text
Title: What is a Wave?

Source: student-written text
A wave is an oscillation containing energy

to travel through space or mass. There are
4 properties we can use to distinguish
whether it is a wave. These are reflection,
refraction, diffusion and interference.
There are two main types of wave,
mechanical waves and electromagnetic
wave. The first one requires a medium to
transfer in, for example a sound wave
propagates via air molecules, and a ripple
propagates via water molecules. The other
type of waves does not need a medium.
This includes radio waves, microwaves,
infrared red and X-rays. Waves can also be
categorized as transverse and longitudinal.
Transverse waves occur when oscillations
are perpendicular to the direction of the
energy
propagation.
Conversely,
longitudinal waves oscillate parallel to the
direction of the energy propagation. A
sound wave is an example of a longitudinal
wave.
To grasp the concept of a wave, first you should understand

what vibrations are. A vibration just is a repeated motion.
For example, lets imagine one guy is sitting in a chair at
the start of the experiment. He stands up quickly, and then
sits down immediately. He repeats this multiple times,
standing up and sitting down repeatedly, with a constant
speed. The motion of this guy is like a vibration. Now, if
we extrapolate this example and to consider 100 such
people; all moving identically and simultaneously, up and
down, this ensemble is still just a vibration, and still not a
wave. To make it a wave, we need to postpone the motions
of the 99 people who were duplicated just now. Each guy
stands up a split second after the guy next to him stood up.
And the guy after that stands up a split second after him,
and so on. Then, what you can see will no longer be an
oscillating straight line like a vibration. What you will see
is a beautiful waving curve, slowly shifting rightward!
That's exactly what a wave is. In fact, we call this particular
example - with multiple people standing and sitting in turn
- a Mexican Wave something that is often observed by
the fans in football stadium! In a word, a wave is just a
series of asynchronous vibrations.
Speaking Practice: Deliver to Engage!

Text 2 above could be found in a pop-science magazine for the educated general public, or it could
also be spoken language in a presentation. Lets imagine it is part of a script for a presentation.
Remember that even after you have written an engaging script with effective language, like text 2,
your presentation might be lost on the audience if you dont deliver the presentation in an engaging
way, e.g. with confident voice and body language.
You are now going to use text 2 as your script for a mini-presentation to a group of classmates
with confident voice and body language.
First, you have 15 minutes to prepare and practise, before you present. Think about what we
have covered in Unit 5 about how to use our voice effectively and how to use our body language
effectively. Follow the steps below.
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Step 1: You have 5 minutes to prepare how to deliver it

1. Mark on the script lines // to show all the pauses you want to make. Remember, we
dont just pause where there are commas and full-stops; we also might pause before or
after key words, or key ideas. Sometimes we might pause for a short time (mark / ) or
pause for a long time (mark // )
2. Underline on the script all the words you want to stress. Remember, we might stress
key words, or difficult words for the audience that we want them to remember.
3. Mark on the script any places you might speed up or slow down a bit. Remember
variety of speed can be interesting! We might slow down if we really want the audience
to pay attention and remember something important.
4. Ensure you know how to pronounce any challenging words. Ask the teacher if
youre not sure. Remember, you should not fumble through a pronunciation for the first
time during any presentation, because you should have checked and practised any
difficult pronunciations at home first.
Step 2: You have 10 minutes to practise how to deliver it
1. Stand up (because you dont deliver a presentation sitting down)
2. Find a space and stand with confident posture (because you dont deliver a
presentation leaning on your chair)
3. Practise reading the script aloud lots of times (because you dont deliver a
presentation silently in your head)
4. Practise using helpful, natural, confident gestures/movement/body language while
you practice reading the script aloud (because you dont deliver a presentation
without them)
Step 3: Now present to a small group of students:
1. Get into a group of about 3 or 4
2. Take it in turns to present: the audience should sit, and the speaker should stand.
3. Give feedback to the other presenters, before the next presenter starts.
Step 4: Reflection
Mix groups and discuss together:
1. What do you think you did well as a presenter? What could you improve?
2. Which of the strategies in Step 1 and 2 were most helpful for you?
3. Which of these strategies are you going to make sure you use when you practise for your
Capstone presentation?
Step 5: Feedback
Make notes on any feedback you received, that you want to bear in mind while preparing for your
upcoming assessed presentation.
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11.2. Comparing Spoken and Written English
Task 1: In previous units of the book, you have seen various examples of useful expressions for
spoken-style presentation language. Look at some of these examples copied again in the table
below and discuss what features of these expressions mark them as spoken-style language.
Some examples of spoken-style language useful for presentations

Make transitions between different sections
So this leads us to the question of what we found out.
You are probably wondering by this point whether we found the results we were
looking for.
So by now it should be clear how we conducted the research, so lets see what the
results revealed.
Show that you know that the audience already knows a certain fact
As Im sure you already know,
I assume you are familiar with the idea of.
Im aware that some of you may be familiar with.
Signpost what kind of information is coming next
Lets explore this solution a little more.
Let me explain why Ive mentioned this.
Refer forwards to key information thats coming later
Ill come back to this point later
Just bear with me before I show you
Later well see how.
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Refer back to key information we heard before

As I mentioned earlier..
Youll remember that weve already seen how..
Let me remind you that.
Explain briefly what you are going to show, before you reveal the next slide
The next chart youll see shows the most important findings of our research.
What Im going to show you next is .
Explain the image/graph/data
What you can see here, is.
This here shows the key trend of.
The upper part of the chart youre looking at is..
Clarify understanding of a difficult point
What I mean by that is..
Let me explain what I mean when I say
Just to clarify, what I mean is
To make sure we are on the same page, what I mean is
Task 2: In addition to the language examples above for spoken-style language, you have also
seen earlier in the book lots of examples of useful language for academic-style written language
which could be useful for your reports. These examples are copied again below. Compare this
language with the expressions from Task 1. Discuss what features make these expressions
suitable for written-style language.
Some examples of written-style language useful for written reports

Communicate the research aim/objective Introduce background information to your
project
We aim to demonstrate
A new kind of were reported to.
This project aims to highlight
The feasibility of .has been forecast .
We intend to shed light on
In the following, we shall discuss
This project aims to examine
In the present work, we report the results
This study aims to determine
obtained from
The major objective of the study is to
will not be considered in this paper

evaluate
are known to be
This phenomenon is well understood by
theory.
Highlight the significance of your project Highlight current understanding of a problem
This phenomenon could be the
This phenomenon is well understood by
signature of
theory.
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Our experiment represents a crucial

step toward
We expect that . will be key for a
new area of experiments.
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There is increasing evidence to support the

hypothesis that
The relationship between .and has been
extensively studied over the last decade.
Several recent studies have indicated that
Interpret and analyze results

We suspect that the source of the
error is
From these findings, it now seems
possible that
It is generally assumed that
This data indicates that
One possible reason is
The data points to the likelihood
of
While the model appears
appropriate in these settings, we
should bear in mind that
Viewed with this model, it is
apparent that
Compare findings with other peoples work

Bolt [1] similarly found that
As predicted by Smith [5] these results
demonstrate
While previous studies have pointed
towards , this study has shown that
Our observation is in contrast to Ward et al.
[6] who suggest that
..a similar result to that of Smith [5].
Such a . has also been predicted
theoretically.
The results obtained suggest good
agreement with
Refer to tables and figures

Table IV shows that.
Fig. 1 illustrates that.
As demonstrated in Table IX,.
As can be seen in Fig. 1,
.are given in Fig. 3
Make comparisons with your findings

While we observed.we did not observe
appears identical
can be clearly observed in.but not in
.has also been predicted theoretically.
Contrary to what was expected with this
methodology, it was found that.
Highlight existing research gaps and

Report findings
recommend future research
have clearly shown
..was suggested to be needed
It was found that
However.are
not
so
well
The analysis demonstrated that.
understood.
It can be seen that.
It has been suggested that further
The differed from the expected value
investigation into is warranted.
by.
To date, little focus has been placed
was different from the given value by
on
was distinct from the labeled value by
Few studies have explicitly
addressed the issue of
There remains minimal evidence to
support.
requires further investigation.
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Task 4: Progress Review

Look at the Course Outline near the front of the book and read the Learning Outcomes for each
unit.
Choose three learning outcomes for each unit that you feel you feel most confident with.
Highlight one learning outcome in each unit that you want to review again.
Make some notes in the table, about any key points/ideas/tips that you want to remember.
Units
My main learning points
Writing Units
Unit 3: Academic Writing for
Research Reports
Unit 4: Introducing your Project
Unit 7: Methods and Methodology
Unit 8: Discussing your Findings
Unit 9: Concluding your Project
Unit 10: Tying your Project Together
Presentation Units
Unit 2: Preparing an Engaging
Presentation
Unit 5: Delivering a Presentation
Effectively
Unit 6: Assessed Presentations
Unit 11: Using Language Effectively
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Task 5: Course Reflection Discussion

Now that we are approaching the end of the course, and you have your assessed presentation and
report due soon, discuss in groups your reflections on the course:
1. What aspects of your writing do you think you have improved most during the course?
2. Which class activity on this course has been most useful for your writing development?
3. What aspects of your presentation skills do you think you have improved most during the
course?
4. Which class activity on this course has been most useful for your presentation skills
development?
5. Your classmates are going to watch your upcoming assessed presentation. What aspects
of presentation skills do you want to receive peer-feedback on from your classmates, after
you present?
6. What have you learned on this course that you think will be useful to your future, after
your Capstone project? What will these things be helpful for, in your future?
7. Go back to the ILOs listed at the start of the course book. Which do you think you have
developed in the most, during this course?
8. Do you have any final questions or concerns regarding your project report or presentation
which are due soon? Dont forget to your instructor / classmates!
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Self-study: Access Online Resources

Visit one or two of the following links, and identify 3 points that are useful to you, that youd like
to remember for preparing an engaging presentation.
Using the rule of 3

http://www.edisonred.com/useful-stuff/preparation-advice/the-power-of-three/
http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/rule-of-three-speeches-public-speaking/
Using metaphor and analogy in science communication

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/in-defense-of-metaphors-in-science-writing/
http://www.americanscientist.org/bookshelf/pub/metaphorical-thinking
https://teachingtomtom.com/2012/11/29/the-use-of-metaphors-in-science-and-technology/
http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110223/full/news.2011.115.html
Using contrastive language

http://www.languageinconflict.org/the-world-through-language/equating-and-contrasting.html
Using emphatic language

http://esl.about.com/od/advancedwriting/a/eexpressions.htm
Using succinct language

https://pointmakercommunications.wordpress.com/2010/06/02/making-positive-succinct-pointswhen-presenting/
http://www.quickslide-powerpoint.com/en/blog/ever-tweeted-then-you-know-how-keep-yourslides-succinct-and-point
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Stages of a Research Project

Stage 1: Identify a research topic area
Think about your current maths interests
What courses do you most enjoy?
What other aspects of maths outside your studies interest you?
Stage 2: Focus your topic area into a more narrow area
Read example project topics at the links provided in Unit 1.1, to find some inspiration
Read more around topics that you are interested in, to find some inspiration
Talk to classmates about their interests, to find some inspiration
Talk to your professors, to help you narrow down your area
Stage 3: Identify a research question / project objective / current problem to solve
Read some journal articles relating to your chosen area of study, to get inspiration
Formulate a clear question that you want to answer by conducting your project
Formulate a one sentence objective that you want to achieve by conducting your
project
Stage 4: Plan how you can achieve your project objective or answer your question
Do you need to collect data? Where from? How?
Do you need to analyse data? How? What models/theories? What software?
Do you need to solve/process/manipulate/modify an algorithm/model? How?
Do you need to write a computer program? Which language? How?
What else will you need to do, in order to undertake your project?
What timeframe will you need to do these things?
Stage 5: Prepare your mid-course project report and presentation
Stage 6: Process/analyse/discuss your findings
Did you meet your projective objective / answer your research question?
What do your findings show?
Why are your findings useful?
What conclusions can you draw from your research project?
Stage 7: Reflect on your research process
What challenges did you encounter along the way? How did you solve them?
What have you learned from conducting this project? About maths? About research?
Stage 8: Prepare your end-of-course final project report and presentation
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Six Step Presentation Planning Guide

Step 1: Establish clear and precise objectives. What do you think your objectives will be?
Step 2: Analyze the audience and their needs. In order to achieve the reaction you are aiming
for, you need to spend time analyzing your audience. You are unlikely to be successful in
achieving the desired outcome unless you are clear about the needs and expectations of your
audience. What information would you want to know about your audience in advance?
Step 3: Establish main ideas. You need to decide which main ideas this particular audience
must understand if your presentation objectives are to be achieved. This is not as easy as it may
seem, unfortunately. For example, if the audience quickly forgets everything you have said, or
remembers only some of the details rather than the main points, you are unlikely to get the
reaction you were hoping for.
In order to make an appropriate selection of main ideas, you need to consider the following
questions:
Which points/ideas are essential for the audience to understand and react to?
How many/Which main points can the audience realistically be asked to remember?
Main ideas should:
accomplish specific objectives
be interesting
be few in number
provide takeaway information
Step 4: Provide supporting information. It is important at this stage to ensure that every
supporting detail can be justified. For example, there is a clear reason for including it. You
should also ensure that you make clear to the audience exactly how each detail relates to the
main point you are developing. What kinds of supporting information can you use to support
your main ideas?
Step 5: Provide a clear structure. The way you organize a presentation can have a significant
effect on its impact, for example, on the ability and willingness of your audience to listen and
react favorably to the points and ideas presented. What different types of organizational pattern
for the body of an informative presentation are there? Which do you want to use?
Step 6: Begin and end effectively. The Introduction and Conclusion to a presentation are at
least as important as the body. You need to get the audience interested from the start, and keep
them interested at the end. These are the sections the audience are most likely to remember
and this has major implications for what you choose to include in your Introduction and
Conclusion. What might you want to include in your Introduction and Conclusion?
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TED Talk Analysis Tasks

Visit http://www.ted.com/talks and use the search function to find a TED Talk on a topic that
sounds interesting to you. Or watch one of the talks recommended:
http://www.ted.com/talks/arthur_benjamin_the_magic_of_fibonacci_numbers
http://www.ted.com/talks/rajiv_maheswaran_the_math_behind_basketball_s_wildest_moves
https://www.ted.com/talks/sean_gourley_on_the_mathematics_of_war/transcript?language=en
http://www.ted.com/talks/allan_adams_the_discovery_that_could_rewrite_physics
http://www.ted.com/talks/jedidah_isler_how_i_fell_in_love_with_quasars_blazars_and_our_incr
edible_universe
http://www.ted.com/talks/henry_lin_what_we_can_learn_from_galaxies_far_far_away
You can also use the interactive transcript available for each of these talks, to help you follow the
talks more easily, and analyze some of the language in more detail.
Below are four sets of questions. Each set relates to the ideas covered in the four units of this
course about presentations (Unit 2, Unit 5, Unit 6, Unit 11). Choose ONE set of questions to
answer while you watch the talk. Prepare to share your ideas with your group.
Questions to review Unit 2
What strategies does the speaker use to

engage the audience? How effective are
these?
How effective are the opener and closing?
Why?
How easy it is to follow the organization of
ideas through the talk?
What helped you follow the structure? What
would help more?
135
Do you like the presenters speaking style?

Why?
How enthusiastic does the speaker seem?
Why?
How effectively do you think the speaker has
organized their ideas?
What helped you follow the structure? What
would help more?
What do you think of the speakers use of

body language? What makes it
effective/ineffective?
What do you think of the design/usage of the
visual aids? How well do they help the
audience?
How effective is his/her use of intonation?
Stress? Pausing? Speed?

Using the interactive transcript, can you find any
effective examples of:
Language which creates a connection between
the speaker and the audience e.g. lets
References to the audience e.g. you are
Metaphor or analogy to explain a complex
concept
Other uses of effective speaking-style
language
Fall 2016-17
NOTES:
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LANG 3011 Capstone English for Mathematics

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LANG 3011 Capstone English for Mathematics

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LANG 3011 Capstone English for Mathematics

Week 1: Research Projects

Stages of a Research Project

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LANG 3011 Capstone English for Mathematics

Course Outline and Schedule

Learning Outcomes in this Unit

understand what Capstone projects are

be aware of useful strategies to engage the

implement strategies to critically read

understand how to structure an effective

be aware of factors to consider for effective

1.1. What is Research?

2. Preparing an Engaging Presentation

3. Academic Writing for Research

4. Introducing your Project

5. Delivering a Presentation Effectively

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LANG 3011 Capstone English for Mathematics

be able to deliver an effective scientific

7. Methods and Methodology

understand how to select appropriate content

be aware of the use of metaphor and analogy

7.1. Methodology for Data-Driven

8. Discussing your Findings

9. Concluding your Project

10. Tying your Project Together

Language Focus (10):

10.2. Writing an Abstract

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LANG 3011 Capstone English for Mathematics

Assessment Research Project

Assessed Tasks Overview

timeline: during week 6

2. An introduction of the research project (450-550 words)

timeline: end of week 7

timeline: during week 12-13

4. An individual research project final report (1500-1800 words)

timeline: end of week 12

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LANG 3011 Capstone English for Mathematics

Mid-Course Assessments - Assessed Tasks 1 and 2

Suggested content for mid-course assessments:

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LANG 3011 Capstone English for Mathematics

End-of-Course Assessments - Assessed Tasks 3 and 4

Suggested content for end-of-course report:

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LANG 3011 Capstone English for Mathematics

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

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LANG 3011 Capstone English for Mathematics

Capstone Project Skills

ollecting data using appropriate and well-designed methodology.

electing an appropriate research topic for a Capstone project.

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LANG 3011 Capstone English for Mathematics

Unit 1 Research Projects

By the end of this unit, you will be able to:

understand what Capstone projects are